Awake while Dreaming
by high-een-ah
Summary: A diminutive girl joins the 104th training squad half-asleep and seemingly unprepared. She encounters our favorite band of characters, undergoes intensive training, and... pets cats? It seems that weird things tend to happen when one is partially conscious, but is she really as dozy as she seems? Rated T for language and possible violence. ArminxOC
1. Prologue-Signature Here

**Disclaimer- I don't own anything but my OC(s) and plot.**

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Prologue- [Signature Here]

The sky was painted a deep golden orange, the deep blue of night quickly receding from the light of the rising sun. Clouds floated high above the drowsy city, wispy and indefinite on invisible winds that carried them swiftly out of sight. Trost still lay heavily in shadow, the great wall obscuring the early sun from view and blocking any beams of light from shining directly on the buildings.

Even so, time could not be forgotten, and the sleepy sounds of awakening citizens could be heard echoing throughout the town. Gentle coils of yeast-scented smoke rose from the various bakeries, and the rustlings of stalls being set up resounded throughout the market places. Shuffling tiredly, workers returning from night shifts inside the walls trickled in as the gates opened for the day, accompanied by any early traders and deliveries of supplies. Drunks stumbled from bars as they were politely shoved from the doorsteps, leaving the owners with mere hours to prepare for day customers (mostly night workers and the like). The city seemed to be caught in the midst of an enormous yawn, a great sigh that swept over the occupants in a lazy attempt to wake them.

It was in this sleepy setting that a young girl traversed the alleyways, delicately avoiding the drowsing vagabonds who cradled their half-empty drinks like they were the keys to the city. She looked half-asleep herself and walked with an empty expression whilst holding her small body loosely. Covered by a large,worn cloak, it looked liable to collapse at any point in time in submission to the cloud of unconsciousness that followed the child like a smoky shadow. The girl stepped into the mostly-empty streets, avoiding the tired and just-waking people with surprising agility as she walked towards some unknown destination.

A meow made her pause before the mouth of an especially narrow alleyway, and she leaned down to pet the sudden gathering of cats that came to greet her. However, the girl didn't stop for long and tossed the group of alley cats a small fish before continuing on her way. Such stops were common for the girl, and if one had been keeping tally as they had followed her on her walk they would have counted over seven pauses, totaling over four dozen strays petted and treated.

She waved sleepily at many of the morning food stall owners and stopped to exchange greetings with a tavern worker, baker, and butcher before stumbling off in that sleepy gait of hers. All the people she greeted seemed happy to see her, and her pockets were quickly lined with their small scraps of leftover snacks, most of which she promptly gave away to either her feline friends or her other acquaintances. The rest of the gifts she gave to herself, munching away on her odd breakfast of a burnt roll and a portion of slightly overripe fruit.

Turning her gaze to the sky as she paused to stroke an orange, three-legged tabby, she smiled at the delicate chains of clouds. _I see a pod of fish. _She thought to herself, _What do you see, sister? _Suddenly melancholy, she brushed aside the clinging tendrils of sadness as she continued down the road. With a sense of finality, she stopped yet again before a tall, official-looking building.

_Military Services._ She read on the worn, but clean, wooden walls. Her eyes drooped, and her body sagged; for all appearances, she looked as if she had fallen asleep. After a few minutes, she jerked forward, eyes still shut, opening the door slowly. Opening her eyes as she crossed the threshold, she was greeted by a cheerful-looking receptionist who sat primly behind the tidy desk.

"Good morning, dear. What can I help you with?" She said statically, in the sort of robotic tone that could be easily repeated again and again. The girl who had arrived could tell that the woman thought her to be little more than a child, probably a little boy, not that the receptionist could be blamed for the assumption, for the girl was small enough to easily be mistaken for a seven year old. She walked forward sleepily, leaning on the desk with one arm and resting her chin on her palm. Her other hand soothed the wood with drowsy circles, creating a calm atmosphere from the steady rhythm.

"I am here to enlist." She said simply. Her voice was slurred, but beneath the tone of weariness was a husky, calming voice. The woman reacted strongly to the words, taken aback by a statement she obviously did not expect. But she reached for a file anyways, laying a paper before the girl.

"You're early, most people will be signing up a month from now!" She said as if to excuse the lack of organization, "The rules of enlistment are simple: you must be a willing candidate of acceptable physical and mental ability and have reached the age of twelve years." At the 'twelve years' the woman enunciated carefully, gazing into her eyes with a sense of 'are you sure?' hovering in the back. The girl nodded in understanding, but the receptionist seemed unconvinced.

"So are you sure you have achieved _all _requirements? We will need to receive a written note of recommendation from a neighborhood supervisor or verbal assent from a registered adult before you are allowed to sign your name." She stated, sounding unsure, wondering if the child had fallen asleep upon seeing her peaceful expression and closed eyes. The receptionist waved her hand in front of the girl's face, biting her lip in consternation.

As the woman worked up the nerve to poke her, the enlister suddenly moved, drawing a small letter from her pocket with the hand that had been making patterns on the desk. Reading quickly, the receptionist cleared her throat as she came to the official Trost stamp printed boldly in black ink at the bottom of the recommendation.

"It says here you are female?" The lady questioned, and the girl nodded. "Very well," she continued, "the contract I laid before you contains the formal military oath and waiver. You may read it now if you would like." When the receptionist saw the girl's apparent disinterest, she handed her an ink pen and said, "Please sign your name on the indicated line."

The girl nodded and didn't even pause before writing her name lazily at the bottom. The lady quickly slid the paper over, glancing down at the sloppy characters with a serious expression. "Just one moment, please." She said as she disappeared into a doorway. Muffled voices could be heard, hers and a different, male one. The woman's rose above the other's, sounding distinctly annoyed as she told whoever it was to hurry up. She appeared once more and sat back down at her desk.

"My associate is fetching your uniform for you, it will only take a few moments." She said, before realizing that the young girl had, yet again, appeared to have fallen asleep. When the girl nodded her head in assent, the woman decided to simply continue speaking. "You will be expected to arrive at the outskirts of the Trost district in two month's time to be picked up by governmental carriages to be transported to the training base. If for some reason you do not arrive at that time you will still be expected to attend the formal invitation ceremony two and a half months from now, under threat of a formal inspection by city officers and a fine of 200 Sina."

"Where is the base?" The girl asked suddenly, keeping her eyes shut with an air of laziness.

"The location? Ummm…" The lady said, shuffling through a cabinet full of documents, "Ah, here it is!" She exclaimed triumphantly, displaying a general map of the space between Wall Sina and Wall Rose. She jabbed her finger at an apparently barren part of the landscape. "It seems to be located here, on the outskirts of a small village by the name of Kitsuki. About a week's journey in a carriage." She stated cheerfully. The girl looked closely at the map, studying it intensely through half-shut eyes.

"Thank you." She said finally, and the woman put the map away. A thin man with a light beard and cheerful face walked through the door, a brown parcel in his hands.

"I have the uniform." He said in a voice the girl recognized as the one she had heard from behind the door, "It's the smallest one that we had." He continued, handing it to the lady, glancing at the apparently dozing form of the small girl, "Good day." he said before walking back behind the door, eyes lingering on the form of the woman.

The lady rolled her eyes, "Bloody pervert." she muttered, but appeared satisfied. She slid the package over to the enlister after jotting a few numbers onto a paper that she quickly attached to the contract with a small dab of wax. "I believe that is all! Don't forget to go to the proper location in two month's time! Have a nice day!" She said in that robotically cheery tone as her attention was diverted to the small line of people that had trickled in as she had dealt with the girl.

"Have a nice day." The girl told the lady with a slight hint of brightness that mixed with her characteristic weariness smoothly. The child almost fell over on her way to the door, collapsing onto the handle and shuffling slowly out the door without a backwards glance.

As the door closed, the woman shifted her attention from the jabbering man she was attending to, following the diminutive form with her eyes. She felt a slight tinge of sadness, seeing how young and small she was, wishing children wouldn't need to fight at such an age and silently cursing the existence of Titans. Continuing to ignore the complaining figure in front of her, she silently prayed to some unknown deity for the child's welfare, calling to memory the sloppy name at the bottom of the contract.

"Good luck, Jae Deyad."

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**A/N- Hello! Thanks for reading this far down \(^u^)/! I know this part is kind of boring and doesn't really have anything to do with anything, but that's why I called it a prologue. This was more of a warm up section than anything really vital to the plot, but I hope you can get a general idea of what my OC is supposed to be like... **

**Anywaysies, please tell me what I've done wrong (I know there is plenty) but don't be cruel about it 'kay? I'm still really new to this writing thing so please be gentle with me... not to sound suggestive *waggles eyebrows* (HuH)b**

**Also, I'm not really sure what pairing I'm going for her, but I'm welcome to suggestions (all but Levi because most of this story will occur during training, before they actually meet the cranky dude). **

**3 high-een-ah**


	2. Somnambulism, Almost

**Disclaimer- I only own my plot and OC(s). Shingeki no Kyojin belongs to someone else (too lazy to look up their name ^w^"). **

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Chapter 1- Somnambulism, Almost

Pitched in inky swirls of pinkish hues, the sky dyed the landscape shadowy purples and pale golds. Fingers of light struggled to hold onto the horizon; they quickly lost their grip on the edge of the world, finalizing the transition from day to night with their disappearance. Inky blue crawled over the edges, obscuring the faint afterglow of sunlight but allowing the dim presence of twinkling remnants of distant souls to shine forth. Such stars gently gave way to the silvery translucence of the moon, and the pale arms burst forth from the surface to paint the scenery new colors of deep blues and pale grays.

Jae walked in the midst of a small field, shuffling over and between carefully-tended plants in what seemed to be accidental, clumsy steps. Her eyes, especially from a distance, appeared to be completely shut, and the weary-looking gait of hers made it seem as if she was some child that had had the misfortune of sleepwalking far from home. From even further away, her large cloak and strange stride made her appear like a ghostly apparition. More than one late-night drinker or party-goer frightened themselves almost to the point of pissing, later returning to whatever home they should've been sleeping in with a new tale of being attacked ruthlessly by aimless field-spirits.

Little did the poor witnesses of Jae's late night wandering know, but she was actually headed in a very specific direction for a very specific reason. She had two months to get to the training camp or risk paying the incredibly expensive fees or, even worse, missing her opportunity to join the military. Not being able to join the military was not an option for Jae; if she could not find some way to get outside the walls her existence would continue to be a painful, pointless one.

So she walked, seemingly undirected, in the general direction she knew the base to be. Most of her time consisted of walking or trying to find food. Oftentimes, she only had to stop a friendly, well-seeming farm and play a few tunes on a small pipe she had carved or help with the animals before in order to receive a parcel of food that was enough to feed her for a couple of days. Her luggage was light, containing only a few changes of clothes, her pipe, and her uniform, along with the official envelope that had come with it in the small brown parcel.

Stopping to rest weary legs in towns, villages, and cities often ended with her being surrounded by stray cats or distracted by a particularly friendly horse. She did not need to sleep, however, for her half-conscious lifestyle allowed a portion of her mind to remain dormant, and the areas adjusted in cycles according to what was required. She was never completely asleep, and she was never completely awake. Thus, sleep was not a real factor in her traveling schedule (though physical rest was required every day for a few hours). In fact, the most time-consuming and difficult part of travel for Jae was in the unexpected episodes that came more frequently the further she got from the wall.

They were painful attacks, starting from her heart and working their way throughout the entirety of her body. It was as if she was being torn apart from within; it was as if liquid agony was being poured into her circulatory system. Some would last for hours, and some would last for only a few minutes. But all of them ended the same: her, curled up in some pathetic ball covered in her own filth as she lost control of her body, completely unable to travel until she recovered (about an hour, on average). She knew why they happened, but was powerless to stop them. Jae was an incomplete person, having lost a large portion of herself beyond Wall Rose.

Such memories plagued Jae on a daily basis, forcing her to confront the pain of loss every few hours. She brushed off the creeping misery, however, finding solace in the peaceful things of life: clouds, cats, horses, and acquaintances. Jae never let her sorrow consume her, but she was not afraid to grieve or shed some tears now and then either. She was smarter than to let such a silly idea like loneliness change her behavior, and saw no reason to become angry at Titans, who were merely living as they were designed to do. Jae did whatever she wanted, exactly when and how she wanted. If it so happened that what she wanted to do would help someone or something else, it was of little consequence.

Lost in such thoughts as she drifted on the indefinite line between wakefulness and sleep, she arrived on the outskirts of Kitsuki after only four weeks on foot on a very haphazard path through the countryside. Almost immediately, she greeted the neighborhood strays and stabled horses with a happy, peaceful feeling. Her drowsy state was contagious, which was probably the reason she got along with such individualistic animals so well. The sleepy aura of hers put the restless beasts in a calm, relaxed mood, making it easy for them to become attached to her.

She greeted their owners as well, calming their anxieties as smoothly as she did with the beasties. Though not much of a conversation-starter herself, she had a pleasant way of listening to someone's troubles, mostly with her eyes closed, that many stressed individuals could come to appreciate. But she never said anything about herself, and seemed to hold a lot back from her many acquaintances, leaving much to be desired for deeper, more personal relationships.

Once Jae had become reasonably acquainted with a good amount of people, which took a few weeks, she continued down the final stretch of her journey down the road and into the base.

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Jae remained just on the outskirts of the camp, wandering aimlessly through the large forest in her sleepy way. She timed her arrival almost perfectly, arriving just a few minutes after the first few carriages did. The new arrivals were instructed to drop off their luggage and turn in their envelopes off at a front office. Blending in with the crowd, she allowed herself to be carried along with all the like-dressed individuals, suddenly glad that she had changed slowly in the forest beforehand.

They were instructed to stand in an orderly fashion in a large clearing to await their welcoming speech. The trainees' luggage would be sorted randomly to various bunkhouses according to gender, and they would be allowed to settle in after the lecture.

Standing smartly in full salute, the trainees painted an interesting picture of like-minded nervousness and uncertainty. Some stood more uniquely than others, and Jae took careful note of those students before allowing her heavy eyelids to shut. She quickly achieved the balance between dozing and wakefulness that she so enjoyed in the the quiet, but tense atmosphere. Suddenly, a harsh voice rang throughout the clearing, resounding like cannon shot.

"Recruits! I am INSTRUCTOR SHADIS! I am here to tell you that this is not some summer camp to learn how to tie knots! In all probability, you WILL face the Titan threat face-to-bloody-face! If you are not prepared for this leave now! Get your scrawny asses out of my camp!" A pause rang out, but no one moved. The voice called out somewhat incredulously, "So ALL of you lily livered COWARDS think that YOU DESERVE TO STAY?! WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THAT YOU ARE SO SPECIAL?!" Another pause, this one long enough for a stray thought to buzz in the back of Jae's consciousness.

_He'd make a great singing instructor._ She pondered, _Sounds like he's a tenor, but he definitely has the power to reach bass notes._

"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?! STATE YOUR NAME AND HOMETOWN, COWARD!" He yelled at some poor recruit. They responded shakily, and Jae was quick to link the name with the voice in her mind for future reference. "WHY ARE YOU HERE?" The man yelled, and seemed unsatisfied with the answer for more shouting ensued. He continued going around to various individuals, continuing in the pattern. Counting his footsteps carefully, Jae realized that he skipped some people. Suddenly, Jae understood what was going on.

_Some people need it. Some people don't_. She thought. Peeking one of her eyes open she silently noticed the people he chose to skip: a pretty dark-haired girl with a red scarf, a messy-haired boy whose face she couldn't see, an incredibly tall fellow, a buff and blonde fellow, and a shortish girl with blonde hair all avoided the ritualistic "hazing." Some people couldn't handle it and broke down, quickly leaving in their shame. Jae grew bored of watching him, closing her eye once again and drifting off into her mind, but still keeping careful account of names and voices.

One tremulous voice stood out to her, and she was surprised by his ability to withstand the face-to-face shouts of the Instructor. _Armin Arlert,_ She noted. _Jean Kirstein, Connie Springer._ Quickly followed in her notebook of interesting persons, as all were physically handled by the stern-voiced man.

Finally, she heard his voice call from right beside her. "WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" He screamed, a note of incredulousness coloring his shout.

"Sasha Blouse, and I'm eating a potato, sir!" The girl said.

"WHY ARE YOU EATING A POTATO AT A TIME LIKE THIS?!" He yelled. Jae wasn't surprised by his extreme reaction, he was attempting to instill a sense of obedience into a bunch of twelve-year-olds, but she was surprised that the girl wasn't discovered sooner. From what Jae could tell from the rustling sounds Sasha had been making, she had already finished two other potatoes before Shadis noticed.

"I'm hungry, sir!" She replied, somewhat shaken. A long pause followed, and Jae could practically feel the death glare radiating from the Instructor. Completely clueless to her imminent destruction, the small crunching sound of a potato being broken carried over to Jae's position.

_Peace offering?_ She thought, _Well, at least the girl keeps it interesting._

Another pause followed, and Jae suddenly felt the heavy gaze of he commander swing over to her position. She realized that she should probably at least make an attempt to look alert, maybe even open her eyes, but she couldn't find the motivation to do so.

_Here it comes, the verbal flames of doooooooom!_ She cried in her mind somewhat manically as his heavy footfalls drew closer to her position. His breath came out in short bursts on the top of her head, and she could feel the heat radiating off of his chest. _Does he have to stand so close?_ She thought mildly, briefly wondering somewhere in the dark crevices of her mind if the instructor was a closet pedophile.

" . . ?!" He yelled deliberately, the rumble of his vocal cords reverberating through Jae's body and out her boots, "WHO ARE YOU, FUCKING PIPSQUEAK RECRUIT, AND WHAT IN TITAN'S NAME ARE YOU DOING ASLEEP?!"

Jae realized that she should at least open her eyes to respond to him. Blinking heavily, she peered upward at the livid man, craning her neck in order to achieve proper eye contact. His face was a very interesting shade of purplish-red, and she took a mental snapshot of the color to use in consideration for an ink design. His eyes were surrounded by dark circles, making his somewhat wrinkled and haggard face take on a ghoulish appearance. However, it was the silvery-green orbs in the center that drew her attention. They held a deep sadness, the kind of self-blame that corrupted and disintegrated even the strongest of souls, given enough time. And yet, in the back of his irises lay a kind of painful hope that made her heartstrings resonate with understanding of a hopeless situation.

Sighing deeply, she spoke quickly with a single breath in as loud and as clear a voice as her chronic drowsiness would allow, "My-name-is-Jae-Deyad-sir-and-I-am-from-Dokonimo-and-I-was-merely-dozing-sir-and-may-I-just-say-how-beautiful-your-eyes-are?"

Silence. A pause as long as Sasha's resonated throughout the clearing. A few distant muffled coughs broke it sporadically, but other than that there was only the sizzling of Shadis's face as it boiled from purplish-red to a dangerous shade of blue-gray. The shout that followed caused a small thunderstorm behind Wall Sina, upsetting a fair number of nobles as their picnic was ruined by the sudden downpour.

"YOU. BOTH OF YOU…" He drew breath to release a positively earth-shattering roar, **"SASHA BLOUSE."** breath, **"JAE DEYAD."** breath, **"YOU WILL RUN LAPS UNTIL YOUR LEGS CAN NO LONGER SUPPORT YOUR BODY. YOU WILL RUN UNTIL YOU COLLAPSE, UNDERSTAND?!**" They both nodded in ascent as he took a finally breath to glare specifically as Sasha, **"AND NO DINNER FOR EITHER OF YOU."**

Jae thought that Sasha was going to have a heart attack at the final phrase. They reluctantly left, beginning the first of many laps around the tracks as Shadis shook himself off and continued grilling the recruits. Jae noticed tears pouring from Sasha's eyes, and she became aware of her incessant muttering.

"No dinner. No dinner. No dinner. No dinner. No dinner. No dinner. No dinner. No dinner. No dinner. No dinner." She gasped, as tears continued to dribble down her chin, snot coming from her nose to rest damply on her upper lip.

Jae shrugged, settling into a steady trot that was only slightly slower than Sasha's sprint but much more sustainable. She closed her eyes after the third lap, having memorized the curves and various bumps that lay along the track. It took some time, but she eventually reached that delicate balancing point between falling asleep and coming awake, just as Shadis dismissed the remainder of the recruits to the bunks. Evening came and went quickly for the duo, with Sasha whimpering at dinnertime as happy recruits came and went from the dining hall, trays decorated with food.

By the time night fell, Sasha had fallen slightly behind, panting heavily and groaning loudly as her stomach grumbled noisily. A few hours after the sun had fully set, Jae heard delicately placed footsteps come to the edge of the track nearest the girl's bunkhouses. A distant squeal of Sasha's glee and exclamations of "Kami-sama!" told Jae everything she needed to know.

_Feeding the glutton, eh?_ She thought, laughing at the kindness as she called to mind a time she had fed an obese cat. She heard their voices calling distantly out to her, but she knew that she still had a few hours before her body gave out. She kept her eyes tightly closed as she passed the place where she had heard the wet 'thump' of Sasha's collapse.

"Ymir." She heard a soft voice say incredulously, "Is that girl _sleep running?"_ Jae couldn't resist peeking her eye open to catch the baffled expressions on a pretty girl and her tall, female companion. Ymir, whom Jae presumed to be the tree-girl, remained quiet as her face remained caught in a complete and utter 'WTF?' moment.

It took everything Jae had to not laugh herself fully awake.

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**A/N- Yaay! Chappie 1 is done (heh, that rhymes... sorta). Thanks to all who read this far! **

**I tried to make my OC's habits a little more obvious in this one... not sure how it turned out... ."**

**Anywaysies... If any of y'all have anything that you absolutely HATE about how I write or see something completely and utterly (heh, udders) WRONG, please tell meh. I'm still wishy-washy on the pairings, so if you have one you really want to see I won't know unless you tell me (oh no, now I'm begging TuT). **

**I'll be going out of town for a couple of days so I probably won't be able to update for a while...**

**Again, THANK YOU FOR READING THIS! **

**3 high-een-ah**


	3. Something to Start With

**Disclaimer- I don't own Shingeki no Kyojin, just my plot and OC(s). Yup.**

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Chapter 2- Something to Start With

The world was caught in that moment between night and dawn as the sun, hidden just below the horizon, bordered on the precipice of sight. Peace lay over the encampment in a smooth curtain of gentle tranquility, sheltering the sleeping trainees with a layer of foggy drowsiness. In a sudden burst of noise, a familiar voice rang out, shattering the peace and silence.

"WAKE UP LAZY COWARDS! MORNING INSPECTION IN TEN MINUTES!" Shadis yelled, rousing the trainees into a frenzied tangle of bedsheets and scattered pajamas. Exactly six-hundred seconds later, an instructor with long brown hair walked through the doorway of Women's Bunkhouse 3, clipboard in hand. She surveyed the room with a critical eye, speaking only when she saw that all beds were made and nothing was out of order.

"Full salute, trainees!" She barked, watching all the girls scramble to the foot of their bunks before calling out, "Attention for roll!" The woman allowed another pause to settle before starting down the names list. No one was missing until, "Mikasa Ackerman and bunkmate Jay Deyad!" She called.

"Mikasa Ackerman reporting!" The red-scarfed girl said briskly. There was an expectant lull as the bunkhouse waited for the other girl to give some sort of response. Krista looked at Ymir nervously, remembering how they had left her to continue her strange sleep-running until she depleted whatever energy reserves she had left.

"Maybe we should've gotten her to come back." The petite blonde whispered to her tall companion. Ymir merely shrugged, motioning for the girl to remain silent lest she be heard by the sharp-eared woman.

Said instructor seemed impatient as she tried once more. "Jae Deyad, report in!" she yelled, walking over to where the girl was _supposed _to be standing: next to Mikasa. An empty gap greeted her eyes, and she 'tsked' with disappointment as she scribbled something down on her clipboard.

Suddenly, just as the instructor was beginning to move on to the next names on the list, the door creaked open slowly. A tiny body collapsed forward on the floor, rolling over lethargically onto her child-sized back. The trainees and instructor looked on incredulously as one of her hands came to lay on her chest in a fisted salute.

"Jae Deyad reporting." She slurred, "Sorry I'm late." The instructor was the first to recover from the initial surprise.

"Explain yourself, trainee." She said sternly, walking forward to the girl's prone form. "Do you have any reasonable explanation for your tardiness?"

"Well, you see," Jae began, feeling that this was all rather unnecessary and keeping her eyes closed because of the sentiment, "I was told 'to run until my legs collapse' by a certain commander, so I did so. I wasn't able to physically get myself over here until about five minutes ago." A ripple of surprise went through the bunks at her calmly-spoken words.

"Stand when you address a superior, trainee Deyad!" The instructor barked pitilessly.

"I would if I could, ma'am," Jae said tiredly (for more reasons than just physical exhaustion), "but it seems that I …underestimated… my recovery period and am now unable to do so, unfortunately for the both of us." The trainer seemed to weigh something out in her mind before she turned from the small figure, continuing down the roll call list as if the strange incident had never occurred.

Feeling a strong gaze burning steadily into her skull, Jae opened her eyes and turned her head to find Krista looking at her with guilty anxiousness. She winked roguishly at the worried girl, attempting to dispel whatever misplaced self-blame the blonde had conjured from her compassionate heart, and laughed inwardly as Ymir stiffened protectively.

_You have absolutely _nothing_ to worry about. _She thought, turning her head and closing her eyes once more, _I'd rather wed a cat._

* * *

Once breakfast and morning exercises were finished ("PICK UP THE PACE, LAZY COWARDS!"), it was time for the first and, for many, final test. It was time to use the 3D Maneuver Gear.

Jae waited in line for her place patiently, lightly dozing while still paying attention to the conversations around her and the people taking the actual test. Only a few caught on quickly: Mikasa Ackerman (whose name Jae remembered from that morning), a sharp-eyed petite blonde, the tall boy (who was exempt from Shadis's lecture), and the buff boy (also exempt).

Their almost immediate understanding of how to balance elicited murmurs of amazement from many of their peers still awaiting their turn.

"Amazing." A boy, the blonde Jae remembered as Armin Arlert, breathed when he saw Mikasa. Jae, who was waiting immediately behind the boy, watched as Armin's disposition went from admiration to despair as soon as he took his gaze from his balancing friend (Jae had observed their closeness from afar while running laps). She instinctively knew that he was intensely self-deprecating, believing himself completely unable to do what his friend so easily achieved.

"Remember to keep your shoulders loose and your center low." Jae muttered behind his back, keeping her eyes closed. She had observed those details from those who had passed, knowing them to be methods that could be easily understood. Armin seemed surprised to hear friendly advice from so close behind him, as his other friend (the spiky haired boy) was in a totally different line. Jae sensed, rather than saw, him turn his head, so she allowed the corners of her lips turn upward in a small smile, even though her eyes were still closed.

She was sleepy, not unfriendly.

"Thank you?" The boy said, somewhat confused by what he assumed to be the tiny sleeping figure behind him. Armin wasn't even sure if the voice he had heard, so soft and calming, was real at all or if it originated from somewhere inside his nervous brain.

"No problem." The girl said, eyes still shut. For a long while, she felt his gaze still on her face, presumably studying it for future reference. _A little long for a mere study…_ she thought. "It's your turn." Jae said after several minutes had passed, hearing the instructor call impatiently for the next candidate. Armin seemed a little startled, shocked out of his reverie and suddenly glad that the small girl had kept her eyes closed as a blush rose to his face. He turned quickly enough to give himself whiplash and trotted to the balancing poles, nervous tension straightening his spine.

"Good luck, Armin." Jae said he walked away. He relaxed slightly, her drowsy tone slightly calming his rapidly beating heart. Armin lodged his hooks into the poles with more than a little trepidation, realizing that he would face the way that a large majority of people were waiting in line, leaving his face in clear view of everyone. Blood rushed toward his face, but he ignored the sudden embarrassment and slowly lifted his feet from the ground.

Jae opened her eyes then, seeing his fearful release on supporting earth with a half-closed gaze. He wobbled precariously, his expression terrified but resolute. Jae noticed that his elbows were what was offsetting him the worst, and if he kept moving his hands he would collapse before the time limit had expired. Waiting patiently for his gaze to lock with hers, which only took a few moments, she raised her arms to mirror his, then slowly drew them closer to her body and straightened them slightly. His eyes widened, realizing immediately what she was doing, making the adjustments cautiously.

The effects were almost immediate; his precarious wobble shifted to a more manageable shake. Gratitude suffused his face, and he opened his mouth to thank the child-like figure, but Jae had already closed her eyes. She knew, however, what his reaction would be to his more stabilized form, and dipped her head in acknowledgment of the silent thanks.

Now it was Jae's turn.

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**A/N- Hello! I know that this was a short chappie, but I'm on vacation right now so this is all I could manage. TnT**

**I finally decided on a pairing, hehe, can you tell? I know that my OC seems kinda Sue-ish right now (good at stuff, I guess), but I hope that my next update can repair that...**

**As always, tell me the stuffs (yes I meant to put an 's' there) you want me to know. Hate it? Love it? Slept through it? TELL MEH! Or not. Wouldn't wanna sound like I'm begging here, because I AM DEFINITELY NOT BEGGING (unless you're into that kind of stuff OuO). **

**Anywaysies, thank you thank you thank you (x3 thanks! FEEL THE GRATITUDE) for reading this. I'm having a lot of fun writing this and want you to have fun reading it!**

**high-een-ah ahahahahahahahahhah*cough*ahahaha**


	4. Laziness: Apathy at Work

**Disclaimer- Only own OC(s) and plot. Shingeki no Kyojin doesn't belong to me. Yup.**

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Chapter 3- Laziness: Apathy at Work

Jae walked slowly up to the balancing posts, unhurried and unconcerned. _Wish me luck, sister._ She thought, glancing up at the clear sky. Settling her hooks into the beams, she closed both eyes, shutting out the visual noise of the waiting trainees. Raising her feet delicately, she balanced her body.

_Easier than I thought._ She mused, and than realized that at the rate she was going she would get marks as high as Mikasa. _Well, we wouldn't want that, now would we?_ she thought, realizing the kind of expectations that would come from excelling right off the bat.

So, to discourage such fanciful notions of her actually having the kind of energy to excel, she shifted the line between her shoulders and her hips, starting a very unsteady-looking posture that was actually quite manageable through slight ankle adjustments. The shift from balanced to unbalanced happened so quickly and so early into the test that Jae doubted that anyone noticed her balanced state at all, even the instructors. Just to be safe, however, she peeked her eyes open to check to the reactions of those around her.

The rest of the trainees were merely chatting amongst themselves while waiting in line, not paying attention to a girl who was _obviously_ barely passing the test. Jae's supervisor looked as uninterested as her peers, staring at the pocket timer like his gaze would make it go faster. Jae was not naive, however, and knew that the chances of her moment of perfection would not go completely unnoticed. Staring hard into her surroundings (well, as hard as a person with half-opened eyes can), she finally locked gazes with the man most likely to notice it.

Commander Shadis stood over all, settled into a small cliff overlooking the camp. He glared hard at Jae, attempting to subdue the minuscule brat who was cheeky enough to actually stare at him while taking an important test. Instead of becoming intimidated, however, she merely filled her eyes with amusement, winking at her superior and steadying herself for less than an instant before making her stance unstable once again.

Even a thousand feet away, she could still feel his disapproving frown, imagining the rumble of his voice. Even so, he didn't shout for her to put forth her best effort and instead let her continue slacking, believing that her grade would discourage any future misbehavior. However, Jae was not one to fret over grades or rankings, thinking that whatever needed to happen would happen.

So she continued allowing her supervisor to dock points until the time ran out. "You passed, barely." He said, straightening his glasses and turning to call the next trainee in line. Jae stumbled sleepily out of the harness, heading drowsily to the equipment building to stow the gear. She passed Krista, Ymir, and Sasha on the way, nodding to them in calm acknowledgement of their existence. She also noted Jean, the reddish-haired boy who was so enthusiastically head-butted by the along in the same line, she politely dipped her head at the teal-eyed boy, noting the short, energetic boy just in front of him; the boy she remembered as Connie from Introduction Day.

"Hey Eren…" She heard him say before she shuffled out of hearing range. _Erin, eh. _she thought, remembering the way he exuded confidence while waiting in lineand his closeness with Armin and Mikasa, _He's an interesting one to watch._

When she finally reached the storehouse, she opened the door to find a variety of trainees who had already finished mingling around the shelving units. Amongst them was the buff blonde and tall dark-haired boy. Listening carefully to their conversation and walking past them, she discovered that their names were Bertolt and Reiner, respectively. However, when she came to the table to get her shelf assignment, she discovered that her allotted slot was in between theirs. Using her memory to guide herself back to where they were standing, she came straight to the shelf with her eyes closed. The two boys paused at her sudden interruption, but Jae had bigger worries.

Her shelf was located about two feet above her head and her equipment, which was slightly too big for her, weighed almost a quarter of her body mass. Struggling to raise it, Jae was forced to open her eyes wider than she was used to. Only moments later, she felt the weight disappear from her hands and the warmth of a body against her back. She looked up, finding herself face-to-chin with Reiner. He glanced down and stepped back, smiling gently at the tiny girl.

"Thank you." Jae said, turning to face the two boys. Bertolt was much shyer than his brawny friend and broke eye contact with her almost immediately. "You two did well on the test." She continued, making a light attempt at conversation.

"Not as well as Mikasa," Reiner said, rubbing the back of his head before shouting over his shoulder, "eh, Mikasa?" Jae noticed that the red-scarfed girl had walked in and was now putting her supplies on the shelves opposite of theirs. She glanced back at Reiner with a stiff expression, but cocked her head in slight inquisition. "We're discussing our results today." Reiner said in way of explanation.

The red-scarfed girl nodded briefly, eyes flicking over Bertolt and Jae briefly. "It looks like your friend is asleep," She said, jerking her chin towards Jae, "must not be much of a conversation." Bertolt jerked slightly, and both he and Reiner looked towards the just-chatting girl to find both of her eyes closed and her body completely relaxed. The boys looked at each other, completely at a loss at what to do.

"Do we poke her?" Bertolt muttered to his friend, looking nervously between the blonde and the girl. Reiner shrugged, reaching his hand out to do just that. He stopped moving when another voice chimed in.

"She does that, but I don't think she's really sleeping." Armin walked over to where they were standing, next to Mikasa. The scarfed girl gently dipped her head toward her friend, gaze flicking over him in quiet assurance of his well-being. Reiner seemed unconvinced and continued reaching to poke Jae. A small hand shot out, batting his aside.

"As he said," Jae slurred, "that's not necessary." She peeked her eyes open, catching the blonde's and nodding amiably. Looking at Mikasa, the two met gazes, the scarfed girl sizing up the smaller, dark-headed trainee. "Hello, Princess," Jae said calmly, "no need to raise your hackles."

Mikasa squinted at her but took the comment, knowing instinctively that she meant no harm. She realized that if Armin trusted her, she must be a fairly nice person. "Hello, _Nap-time_." Mikasa said, accentuating the nickname in response to Jae's. The diminutive girl took the name with similar grace, and Armin visibly relaxed as the two girls obviously got along, albeit in their own strange way. Reiner and Bertolt just stood there, obviously confused by the whole deal but shrugged it off with a shared eye roll that meant something akin to _"girls."_

"Let's go," The short blonde said, "we don't wanna miss Erin's debut." The whole group minus one began to move, and Armin turned back to the missing member. "You coming, Jae?" The small girl shook her head, shooing them with her hand. Shrugging, he continued walking, feeling slightly heavier for some reason.

Jae stood there, eyes still closed, eventually wandering out the back door. _There are some interesting people here, eh sister? _she thought, turning her back to the training field.

The instructors never _specifically_ said that the trainees couldn't _not_ linger with the rest.

* * *

Jae followed her nose, searching for a distinctive musky scent on the wind. A trace filled her nose, and she followed it to the building she was looking for. A whinny greeted her ears, and she allowed one of her rarer true smiles to grace her face. She walked down the line of horses, counting the number of noses that she stroked.

About four dozen training horses stood ready to be taken out by different groups at different times on the scheduled training days. They were the oldest of the specially bred military horses, the ones lucky enough to survive past ten years (the normal retiring age of the intensely-used horses). They would continue working for the military for another twenty, teaching the trainees the basics of horse riding.

Not all branches of the military used much horse riding, though. The Military Police had very little opportunity to use it, but would need to use the basics of horse skills to control carriage horses and for the rare times they patrolled in the Inner City. The Garrioson used it slightly more often, moving cannons and traveling from different parts of the walls. However, it was obvious that the Survey Corps was the only branch that used horse riding skills the most frequently, so learning the basics became a part of the training so that students would at least know a little bit about horses before going outside the walls.

Not that many were expected to even join the Survey Corps, what with the developments of the past couple of years.

Jae knew all of this already, having had many… acquaintances - both unfriendly and friendly - who were a part of the various branches of the military. She didn't much care about the details, however, and preferred working with the beasts themselves than hearing about what they were being used for. Her attitude and behavior with cats extended to horses, and her calming aura had the same effects on the large creatures. Needless to say, she was very good with horses and even knew a lot of the trickier techniques and some training methods.

Jae petted the stabled creatures gently, sensing their great, pent-up energy and barely-restrained power. She saw in their eyes, however, the kind of trauma that comes from witnessing many of their friends killed by great footfalls and deadly falls. A dark memory brushed the corners of her mind, grasping at her consciousness and seeking to pull her into the deadly weight of the past.

She struggled past it, finding solace in the warm-bodied animals. A few barn cats crept curiously around the edges of her vision, so Jae bent down to their level, encouraging them with her body language to come nearer. Eventually, the shy creatures had gathered into her lap, a small collection of kittens and their mother who sat a distance away, grooming herself calmly. She knew that she could trust the tiny, sleepy human who seemed having trouble keeping her eyes open. She had a calming voice, and a busy mother cat could use a little tranquility in her life.

Sooner than Jae realized, the bell for the evening meal rang. _Oops._ She thought. Hearing the bell now meant that she had somehow missed lunch, not to mention the other half of the trainees taking their aptitude test. _Missed an opportunity to see more people in action…_ She thought regretfully, remembering seeing Connie, Jean, and Eren still waiting in line, as well as Ymir, Sasha, and Krista.

Shrugging off any lingering remorse, she left the stalls and headed towards the dining hall. Jae looked towards the horizon, watching the sun slowly ebb below the horizon. Far, far off in the distance she imagined seeing the straight barrier that was the wall blocking the last of the sun's rays.

_Sister…_ Her heart ached for her other half, a part of her struggling to come awake but failing as another part of herself struggled to remain asleep, _Another day passes. _

* * *

Jae walked into the hall slightly behind everyone else. She noticed a large commotion in one corner of the room, where she knew that Armin and his two friends tended to sit. Ignoring the fuss, she focused on getting her food, placing what she wanted into her pocket. After some searching, she finally found the people she was looking for. Stumbling over to where they sat, she dumped what remained on her tray onto Sasha's, smiling gently at Krista and mischievously at Ymir.

After some slight observation of the petite blonde, who was still taller than the child-sized girl, Jae noticed the delicate way she held her spoon. _Like a noble, _she thought, _Krista holds it like a noble holds their soup spoons._ Another memory threatened to rise to the surface, but Jae simply skimmed over it with her half-asleep mind, purposefully covering the details with the fog of drowsiness.

"Watch how you're eating, my lady," Jae said to Krista as Sasha tore into her sudden increase of food with loud noises of pleasure, "you're breeding shows." Krista appeared startled, nearly dropping her spoon, and looked at her small peer sharply. Ymir stiffened as well, nearly glaring at Jae with the intensity of her gaze.

Jae, though, merely continued on her way unperturbed, wandering slowly in-between the many tables and maneuvering between the trainees unnoticed by most. Annie, the icy girl whose name Jae had picked up from somewhere, sat in a small pocket of isolation, observing everyone with furtive glances. The two girls nodded at each other, one warily and the other wearily. Eventually, she found herself near the table where most of the earlier commotion as coming from. In the midst of it all sat Eren Jaeger (she had heard his full name in the midst of her recent wanderings amongst the tables).

From what she could make out, it appeared that the ever-confident Eren had completely failed his Aptitude Test. Jae felt that something was extraordinarily wrong with that fact, remembering the way in which he had stood in line. _Wrong, _she thought, _something is wrong, and it's not my intuition_. She stood sleepily off to the side of the table for some time, listening as Mikasa, Armin, and several others attempt to comfort the downtrodden boy. The first to notice her was, unsurprisingly, the red-scarfed girl. Mikasa nudged her blonde friend, nodding to where Jae stood with her eyes closed.

"Hey…" Armin called, suddenly realizing that he didn't remember her name, even with her dramatic entrance at the Introduction ceremony, "you can sit down if you want." He continued, watching as the small girl shuffled forward, plopping herself in the empty slot next to him without bothering to open her eyes. Jae could tell he wanted to say something, but she figured that she needed to get certain introductions out of the way.

"Hello Eren." She said, the boy appeared somewhat startled by a stranger's knowledge of his name. "Heard you had it tough?" She continued bluntly. Eren winced, but nodded.

"Yeah, couldn't even stay up for an instant." He muttered, anger and determination appearing in deep lines on his face. _There's that look again._ Jae thought, watching his body fill with the same kind of energetic tension she saw in the horses that day. It was tinted with the color of shame, however, lacking the bright flame of before.

"Don't feel bad," Jae said, interrupting his moment of combined resolve and self-pity, "it's not like you have to figure it out alone." Letting her words sink in for a moment, she put her head on the table in front of her, allowing her body to rest while still being able to hear what was going on.

"Yeah, Eren!" Armin said enthusiastically, trying to ignore the warmth of the person next to him, "You have the most talented person here as your half-sister!" He gestured to Mikasa who nodded briskly, muttering an affirmative. Erin brightened, turning to the girl.

"How do you do it? How do you not fall over?" He asked eagerly, reaching eagerly for any piece of information. Mikasa seemed a little unnerved by the sudden onslaught.

"I just do it." She said simply, unable to describe the sensation, "It's like falling, but floating and flying all at once." She finished with a shrug. Eren appeared crestfallen, and his two friends tried desperately to find something to help and comfort him.

"Well, how about you Jae?" Armin asked as a last result, looking towards the slouched figure. Eren looked a little doubtful, so Armin explained, "She helped me to pass the test, so I thought she might have some advice…"

"Is she even awake?" Whispered Eren, staring at her drooped head uncertainly.

"Ask Reiner or Bertolt." Jae interjected suddenly after the pause in their conversation began to affect the flow of the others occurring around their table, "They seemed to get it fairly well, and may be able to speak man-to-man, which is impossible for Princess and I. The only reason I could help Armin is because he understands the physics of it." She said, glancing carefully at the blonde. Jae didn't really know why she knew that Armin was smart, but somehow she could almost _sense_ it in him.

"Yeah." Armin said, even before he could fully process everything Jae had said. When the last part finally got through to his brain, he felt himself get pressed into his seat by the almost-complement. Eren and Mikasa began discussing something amongst themselves, probably about the physical aspects of balancing (Eren still looked confused), so Armin decided that it was time to strike up a conversation with the girl beside him, carefully avoiding looking at her face so as not be distracted.

"What's your name, again? I remember you shouting it at the beginning ceremony, but I can't quite recall it…" He thought, finding it strange that of all things to forget, he failed to remember her name. He remembered pretty much everything else to the smallest detail, his memory allowing him to recall even the way that Commander Shadis's shoes were tied. (But then again, it couldn't have been easy for a boy to remember a girl's name when he was too busy admiring her comforting, warm voice.)

"Jae," She said simply, "Jae Deyad. I understand that you come originally from inside Wall Maria?" She asked. Armin nodded, expression sorrowing. "Titan's are pretty ugly, eh?" She said calmly, keeping her head down.

"Yeah," He slowly responded, "though it's interesting that they can be taken down by simple bits of wire and hardened steel." He said, enthusiasm quickly returning to his voice at the thought of the gear again. The mechanics of the equipment fascinated him to no end, making him wonder at the ingeniousness of the inventor of coming up with such clever gadgetry.

"Ah, yes, but not just any hardened steel," Jae interjected slowly, "the steel is incredibly dense, even at a molecular level. The forges in the inner city must be upwards of a thousand degrees."

"It's upwards of fifteen hundred degrees," Armin explained, "can you imagine the kind of fire-proofing they must do to their clothing?" He wondered.

"I heard about them using some form of asbestos out of a small mine far west of here." Jae said.

"Yeah, that's what I heard. But surely they wouldn't want their workers under that much strain? Asbestos is basically toxic!" Armin pondered, "Maybe they should develop some other kind of material?" There was a pause as the two minds churned, one eagerly and the other somewhat sleepily.

"They'd have to use some kind of silicate alternative," Armin said carefully, after awhile, "though I couldn't imagine how they'd get it to a fabric-friendly state."

"They'd have to make it into incredibly thin sheets without changing the chemistry of the materials…" Jae mused, lost in thought (which wasn't much different than her normal state, to be honest).

"Perhaps they could…" Armin began, but realized that almost everyone around the two were now openly staring. Jae was not overtly surprised, having felt a few gazes on them before, but was a little startled by the sudden weight of the many stares. She kept her head down, glad that she could hide in the respite of her drowsiness but felt a little bad for Armin, who had no such refuge.

"What the literal fuck are you two talking about?" Connie said; he had paused with the rest of the crowd on the way to dispose of his tray. Everyone busted out laughing then, much to the blonde boy's embarrassment. Eren could be heard for everyone to shut up, somewhat recovered from his failure. Apparently, while Jae and Armin were busy talking, he had been confronted by Jean and somehow the violent confrontation had increased his resolve and confidence tenfold.

_An interesting dynamic._ Jae thought, ignoring the increasing fuss that built as Jaeger and Springer began a verbal duel that quickly disintegrated into childish insults. _He has interesting dynamics with everyone, even though he lacks the ability of Mikasa and the intelligence of Armin. _

Eventually, everyone calmed down, though one angry voice could be heard from across the room, followed by several others.

"What happened to the rest of my food?" They shouted.

_You unscrupulous pig. _Jae chuckled, _one of these days they're going to catch you and kill you._

But she doubted that Sasha cared.

* * *

**A/N- Yaay! Longest update yet (I tried to make up for last time's...) Sorry if it's a little choppy, I kept falling asleep while writing it ^/^" **

**I find that it's easiest for me to write open-ended relationships, so sorry if it feels like Jae is flirting with everyone -.-" But then again, that leaves the pairing a little more flexible for those who aren't sure if they like Armin...**

**Please tell me if you hate something or like something, because I'd like to know. Don't worry, I'm pretty fire proof so let me have it. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorited, and followed (the responses are at the bottom)!**

**Man, I'm tired.**

**high-een-ah ahahahahahaha**

**Response to Reviews!**

**Marfo Faura- Yaay you are my first review EVAAH! I feel so honored to have it! And yeah, ArminXanybody seems kind of rare, so I decided I might as well have a shot at it...**

**Guest- Thanks bunches! You're so nice TwT (happy tears btw).**

**Guest- A complement for Mwah? Thank you! I hope I will be able to keep up the style you like, but I know that I sometimes write weird when I'm tired... ToT (happy/sad tears)**

**Guest- Haha, maybe I'll write a side series of one-shots with a bunch of other pairings? I tried putting a small moment in there for you, but I'm not sure it makes any ****sense... Thanks so much for reviewing!**

**Yoshikuni Koharu- Tee-hee had to look up that word ^u^! But that totally describes Jae! Thank you so much for your kind words!**

**Thanks again to all who reviewed, followed, and favorited, including: LMary52, Marfo Faura, Misha's Second Breakfast, Yoshikuni Koharu, blueberryblitz19, rukiheart01, silent crescendo, and MSG SoyBoy!**

**I'll start PMing people once I figure it out so as to not clutter up the chapters so much with my rambling...**


	5. Knowledge Gained but Nothing Learned

**Disclaimer-Don't own except for OC(s) and plot, blah blah blah.**

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Chapter 4- Of Knowledge Gained and Lessons Not Learned

When the trainees in Women's Bunkhouse 3 woke up the next morning, they were afraid of another repeat of the previous day's events because Jae was not in her bed.

She stumbled in a few moments before the ten-minute warning, however, and they breathed a collective sigh of relief. Some of the girls were a little angry; Jae noticed them glaring at her while she walked past, muttering about her endangering the whole shack if she kept sneaking out at night. They didn't realize that Jae hadn't even gone to bed that night, for she had spent most of the time from dusk to dawn wandering aimlessly in the large forest on the outskirts of the training grounds. Her restlessness made morning exercises hard, but Jae managed to push through them until after breakfast, which was when the other part of their training would be introduced: formal lessons (the re-takes for the aptitude test would be done in the evening).

Jae shuffled into her assigned schoolroom, collapsing into a desk near to the door. She silently observed the shoes of those who entered, recognizing many of them. _Some interesting people, _she mused, _must be my luck, sister._ Jae noticed someone sit next to her, peeking stealthily over to see Armin, with Eren and Mikasa to his left. He greeted her in his quiet way, nearly unheard beneath the din that was made mostly by Connie, the shave-headed boy loud even early in the morning.

A hush fell over the room as an instructor strolled confidently through the door.

"My name is Professor Lehreski." He said, standing briskly in the front, "I will not stand any misconduct in this room, and all unsavorily-behaved students will be forced to do an hour of laps for every offense. Are there there any questions?" He asked, pausing for half a second before continuing, "I will teach you all you need to know about your 3D maneuver gear, titan physiology and psychology, military protocols and formations, the basics of strategy, in addition to the typical curriculum expected of children your age in math, science, history, geography, and english." He began pacing down the aisles during the small speech, eyeing every student carefully. "Every morning you will rise and greet me with the proper salute until I say to sit down." He was at the front of the classroom by then, and stood expectantly for the trainees to do exactly that.

The screech of chairs and desks being moved echoed throughout the small classroom as the trainees moved to stand in the proper posture. The professor nodded approvingly, motioning them to sit down after roll had been called. "We will begin," He said, turning to the chalk board, "with the basics of 3D gear maintenance."

Jae put her head down once again, listening carefully to the lesson. After some time, she grew tired of the professor's voice, so she peeked under her elbow to watch the rest of the class. Armin sat stock still, paying attention to everything the teacher said and writing careful notes every once in a while. Her face set into her characteristic expressionless mask, Mikasa took notes as well, writing more often than Armin. Eren simply stared at his notebook, moving his pencil to take notes when he heard Mikasa and Armin do the same. Jean was, surprisingly, taking dutiful notes but was obviously distracted by his shave-headed friend who was attempting to get to start a spit-wad war with him.

Seeing a lack of the older trainees, like Reiner, Ymir, and Sasha, Jae realized that the classes must be split up into different ages, which made sense since they would have already learned some of the materials already. Jae looked at the board lazily, and once she saw that Professor Lehreski wrote almost exactly what he was said on the chalk board, she relaxed once more. Closing her eyes, she could listen to what the teacher said without having to put forth much effort. _Chances are,_ she thought,_ he's the type to teach directly from the textbooks, so studying will be simple. _

After a couple hours and a few subject changes, the class began getting restless with the less motivated students whispering amongst themselves. The professor began getting annoyed with those who disrupted his class and began handing out the promised hour of laps to anyone who talked. He then noticed the tiny girl in the corner, who was apparently sleeping. A vein appeared on his forehead, irked that someone would be so open with their disobedience for the other disrupters at least had the decency to whisper.

"Jae Deyad!" He called, watching as he got no reaction out the slumped form, "Armin, wake her up!" He commanded the boy sitting next to her. Jae felt like there was no reason to spend the energy to raise her head when she could hear everything the professor said perfectly and was a little irked at his sudden involvement of the innocent blonde next to her. Armin shifted uncomfortably, perfectly aware that she was staring at him from under her arm, waiting to see what he would do.

"I don't think that she's asleep, sir." He said in a timid voice. The professor squinted a little at him, unsure if he was being disobedient or telling the truth. He decided to give the boy a shadow of a doubt and turned to Jae instead.

"What, Jae Deyad," He began, starting from the math lesson he was currently teaching, "is the fundamental equation that describes all right triangles?" Jae realized what he was doing: if she was unable to answer any one of his questions, she would be sentenced with an hour of laps, or worse.

"Pythagorean's Theorem," She spouted, still not raising her head, "or a^2 +b^2=c^2. 'A' and 'b' refer to the legs of the triangle, while 'c' refers to the hypotenuse."

"What region," the professor said quickly, moving on to the geography lesson they had had earlier, "specializes in the harvesting and production of wheat and wheat-related materials?"

The answer was immediate, "Kozen District."

It continued that way, going back and forth between different subjects until they finally arrived at the very first lesson on 3D maneuvering gear. "Who is known for having developed the early versions of the 3D gear and to which branch of the military did they belong to?"

The class shuffled to the edge of their seats, some students flipping to the beginning of their notes to try to find the answer. Jae realized that most people would not have written it down or even heard him say it, because he had said the answer as an answer to one of Armin's questions while everyone else was busy preparing for a subject change at the end of the lesson. She understood that the professor was beginning to get severely angry at her and that her answering the teacher's questions so quickly, though correct, could be seen as insubordination.

But Jae was never one to be fearful of authority.

"Angel Altonen," she slurred, somewhat muffled by the arm she was laying on, "and he didn't technically belong to any branch of the military, since he was a weapon's craftsman, but he did work in close conjunction with the Survey Corps."

Silence fell over the class as Jae answered the final question, smothering the students with tense anticipation.

"Deyad," the professor said with finality, " you will stand until class is over, and you will attend _four_ hours of laps once your evening chores are completed. You will _not_ eat until those hours have been completed, understood?"

The class began muttering, shocked that someone who had obviously been paying attention was being punished. Jae did not react however, and merely stood up, saluting the professor with a spark of annoyance evident in her half-closed eyes. She understood that the professor needed to seem in control to maintain discipline, but she found it all rather tiresome and unnecessary. _Next time, _She muttered inwardly, _just leave me alone, Lehreski._

However, she knew better than to stoke the fires further. "Understood." She said, moving to the side of the class so as to not block anyone's view. Jae was now facing the window, and she gazed at the sky while still locked in a salute. _A little boring hmm, sister? _She thought, observing the trailing wisps of puffy lace float across the sky.

When the professor turned away from her, Jae promptly shut her eyes and leaned slightly against the wall.

_Ah, _she mused, _the pleasures of learning._

* * *

After classes and lunch were over, which was about two in the afternoon (class days had seven hours of learning, while training days had only three), Jae trained with the rest of her peers in conditioning. They were still working their muscles up to the point where they could do more than just balance on the 3D Gear, because their bodies right now would be shaken apart by the intense pressures they would experience flying through the air. There were more gaps in the trainees than Jae remembered, and she realized that many people who had failed the test had given up already without even attempting the re-trials after dinner.

Her gaze found one of the people who had yet to give up, watching Eren struggle to keep apace with Mikasa and, surprisingly enough, Sasha who were already on the other side of the track. Armin was somewhere behind her place directly in the middle of the trainees. Jae could go faster, probably in league with the stoic, scarfed girl, but she felt no need to. So she paced herself carefully, staying where she was to maintain her image of mundanity. She slowed herself slightly, coming to the same group Armin was in.

The blonde was breathing hard, panting with every step. However, he managed to stay ahead of the true slackers, the people who weren't doing much more than walking. Jae observed him for some time until coming to run side-by-side with him, jogging in step companionably. She didn't know why she was so drawn to the quiet boy, but figured it had something to do with the way their minds worked. His was sharp and calculating, like the gears of a massive clock; the tiny parts ticking away constantly. Her consciousness was less solid, sliding everywhere like pools of oil in water; the kind of grease that could increase the efficiency of gears if used properly.

Training was over quickly, and the students went their separate ways to begin their evening chores before dinner. Jae managed to switch her kitchen duties with Sasha, who had been assigned mucking duty in the stables. Jae was the first to arrive in the musky hall and set to work almost immediately with her characteristic half-awake manner. She didn't mind working to clean the homes of her friends (who were out in the field).

However, when no one else arrived, Jae realized that the other people who had been assigned stables hadn't bothered to show up since instructors rarely walked all the way over to the building to check on them. Jae didn't mind especially much that they were slacking, but knew that if she didn't finish the allotted work in time for inspection, she would get more punishment. Remembering the four hours of laps she still had yet to do, she wondered if she would be able to complete another all-night run so soon after the disaster of Introduction day (her all night wanderings were different since she could still rest her body with a slow pace).

Just as Jae was beginning to think about simply giving up and laying down, a boy and a girl walked in from opposite ends of the stable, harried and disorientated. "Sorry I'm late!" They said in unison, before they noticed each other, "I got lost!" They chuckled and blushed awkwardly at the jinx, walking to where Jae stood in the middle. The boy was tall, with tanned skin, Jae recognized him as Franz. Red-haired and freckled, the girl introduced herself as Hannah, even though Jae also recognized her.

"No worries." Jae said simply, gesturing to a corner of the stables, "The supplies are over there, if you want to get started."

With all the extra hands, they managed to finish a half-hour before the inspection. Jae nodded to the two before leaving them alone, sensing that they wanted to talk to each other.

She wandered sporadically, eventually coming to a stop in front of the bathhouses. Hearing a large collection of voices, she walked in between them to see a small gang of boys, busy smoking some stolen cigars and drinking banned alcohol. Before she could turn around, however, they noticed her. Bristling at her discovery, they began to stand up, figurative hackles raised.

Jae shrugged, closing her eyes and making herself appear as non-threatening as possible. "I wonder what that smell is?" She said, walking boldly in between the crates they were sitting on, "Is that a cigar? No, maybe it's just the incense burning in the girl's baths." The boys were still tense, but didn't move to touch her, glaring at the small form in her midst. Jae heard some whispering; they recognized her from Introduction day.

"It's Nap-time." One guy muttered, taking a swig of something.

Just as she was slipping past the last few boys, safety within her reach, Jae heard something that made her pause. "Doesn't she hang out with that prideful mother fucker Jaegar and the weakling bitch Arlert?"

_Please stop me, sister. _Jae thought, as she tried to lose herself in her semiconscious state._Too late,_ She realized, feeling something bubbling in her chest, _can't stop it now._

"Apes like yourselves," The words burst loudly from her throat, "should leave the opinions to those with _actual _intelligence." Jae knew she was past the point of no return, having just pushed a bunch of boys, who were already tense and somewhat angry at her for disturbing them, not to mention heavily inebriated, over the edge.

_Oops._ She thought, preparing herself for a messy fight with clenched fists and loose muscles.

She felt a large hand grab the back of her shirt and braced herself for impact.

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**A/N- Hello! As always, thanks for reading!**

**School is starting up again *tear* which means less updates *more tears*. I don't know what my schedule is going to be like so expect sporadic updates until I figure it out. Thanks for understanding OwO" **

**Please tell me if you have anything you loved/hated, because I would like to know! Thanks to everyone who reviewed/followed/faved! Shout-outs to Guest reviewers and Yoshikuni Koharu (again?!). **

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	6. Pain, this Time Physical

**Disclaimer- Don't own except for OC(s) and plot. Yup, that means don't steal them, please.**

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Chapter 5- Pain, this Time Physical

The first fist hit her on the back of her skull.

Shock waves reverberated through her head, quick pulsations of negative energy that pounded through her bones. But Jae did not have the time to comprehend the pain, she could only dodge the next hit and the next, struggling to release herself from the grip of the person behind her. It loosened slightly, whether in an accidental jerk of the hand or a decisive moment of serendipity Jae did not know or care.

She took the opportunity by the skin of her teeth, literally. Jae bit down hard, the salty tang of blood filling her mouth. A scream, guttural and male, resounded through the air making her ears ring, but Jae could barely process the fact that she was causing another person pain as agony of her own shook her bones and tore her blood vessels while still more hits rained upon her body.

Everyone was in a drunken frenzy, eager to feel flesh give way under their fists in an animalistic need normally hidden by the logic of soberness. Jae sat in the middle of the maelstrom of anger, rage spiraling uncontrollably into the air. The madness fed off of itself, expanding like an emotional sponge, growing fangs and claws and spikes designed for the sole purpose to hurt. It filled the boys quickly, their inebriated minds unable to comprehend the fact that they were human beings beating another, weaker, and much smaller human being nearly to death.

They were lost in a sea of wrath and frenzied urges, unable to stop unless forcefully halted by an outside force. The kind of force that Jae was unable to apply.

Jae knew that she would not get out of this unharmed, if she was able to get out of it at all. She continued dodging fists and kicks, taking more and more with every second she was trapped by the circle of boys that were all set to destroy. Waiting for the perfect moment, she lashed out, predicting the moment when the crowd had separated from one of the individuals long enough for him to be standing alone. The heel of her hand collided with his soft stomach, the only place she could reach with any power. He doubled over, allowing her to quickly slam his head into her upraised knee before collapsing.

Jae realized her mistake when the crowd grew even more frantic for her destruction. They saw her draw blood, proving to their misguided minds that she was a threat that deserved everything they had. She tasted blood in her mouth, coppery remnants of the boy who had been holding her back. Spitting it into the nearest person's face while avoiding another hit, she grinned slightly.

"Is that all you have, boy?" She said calmly, stepping into her precious semiconscious state. The next hit was harder, and she crumpled obediently into the ground. Sheltering her head in her hands and protecting her ribs with her elbows, she kneeled with her head to the ground, closing her eyes to lose herself in a small corner of tranquility still present in her mind.

Jae was afraid to wake up and scared to go into unconsciousness. The fear was not because of what would happen to her or what she would feel, but what would happen to those around her. Awake, she was insane. Asleep, she was a beast. So she rooted herself firmly in the thin space between the two planes of existence, losing herself to almost remembered dreams and half-seen realities.

But the pain was no less real there, and it was no less intense. It set in quickly in her skull, hot daggers warning her of the danger her brain was in. They stabbed deeply, digging deeper with every kick the boys sent her way. It was then that she became aware of another, different pain. If the pain in her head was the melody of a song, bright and hot and obvious, the pain in her torso was the base. It thumped in perfect rhythm with her heart, searing deeper into her core with every impact of the feet still forcing it further on her tiny body. There it sat, the symphony of misery all out of sync but perfectly in tune, leaving her helpless and crumpled in a tiny ball.

She was a single speck of dust caught in the winds of rage, slowly losing altitude above a pit full of fiery torment.

_I'm sorry, sister._ She thought, still refusing to slip into unconsciousness as she felt her body give into the flames._ I won't be able to…_

* * *

Hours Earlier

Armin recieved his work assignment tentatively, looking around at the other people on the field, watching where they were headed. Mikasa was assigned to clean the bathhouses with Erin, so he said goodbye to them when he realized that his duties were different. He began to move when the rest of the crowd did, following the flow of things until it was time for him to break off and enter his assigned place. _Kitchen duty. _ Armin thought, repeating it over and over in his mind until he came to the small building.

Steam was already pouring from the thin spouts on the roof, scented with yeast and vegetables. Meat was rarely cooked because of its high price, and most of the protein in the trainee's diet came from a thin broth or gravy boiled from chicken and beef bones. Armin walked into the kitchen, seeing a few trainees already there. Reiner was in a corner with a couple of others, busy peeling and chopping potatoes. The head chef, a strict but cheerful, round woman, shouted for Armin to begin stirring he large cauldrons of twice-boiled porridge that was eaten at every meal.

Through the smoke and steam, several minutes later, Armin could make out the silhouette of a late arriver. His heart nearly stopped when he realized who it was. _How did Sasha get into the kitchen?_ He thought, eyes flicking over to where the head chef was busy leaning into an oven to rotate the hardtack biscuits there. _Who was the idiot that let her switch jobs with them?_

He watched from the corner of his eye, aware that Reiner and the others were doing these same. Sasha remained oblivious to the scrutiny, distracted by the overabundance of food all around her. The amount of drool that began to dribble down her chin was revolting, but Armin was more afraid of the fact that the bottomless-stomached girl had picked up one of the recently-finished biscuits and was about to eat it.

Suddenly, something whizzed past Armin's ear, knocking Sasha onto the floor and the biscuit out of her hand. A ladle clattered to the floor next to the girl, and her whimper was barely audible above the noise of the kitchen. The head chef stomped furiously over to Sasha, intimidating even when purple from anger.

"YOU!" She sputtered, "HOW DID YOU GET INTO MY KITCHEN?" Armin realized that the rumors of Sasha stealing food from the kitchen weren't rumors, and, judging from the chef's reaction, the girl had been caught a few times as well. He watched the next events play out incredulously, as Sasha was shoved into the sink, the chef shouting for her to "keep your greedy paws off the food and wash some dishes, you tub of lard" enthusiastically. When the woman turned around, Armin flinched, quickly trying to appear as busy and helpful as possible, wishing that he could become invisible.

_I could really use some calming skills. _He thought as his nervousness nearly made him knock the huge pot over with his over-zealous stirring. An image of Jae, eyes closed even while the professor yelled at her filled his mind, and he allowed himself to linger on the thought, wondering how she did it.

Time passed quickly, and they finished early (even though the chef had to yell at Sasha every few minutes, she was a very quick washer), and soon Armin left the kitchen with Reiner. "I'm going to go find Mikasa and Eren." He said, and began to walk towards the bath houses, eager to see his friends again.

"I'll come with you." The brawny boy said, "Bertholdt got cleaning duty too."

Armin nodded, walking awkwardly next to his much larger peer. He cleared his throat, attempting conversation. "W-what did you think of the lessons today? Are you learning different things in the older class?"

Reiner slowed a little, noticing the trouble the smaller lad was having trying to keep up with him, and thought for a moment before replying. "The professor I had was an old woman, thought she was going to have a heart attack between every breath." He chuckled dryly, peering down at the younger trainee, "I heard your professor was pretty strict?"

"Yeah," Armin replied, relieved that the conversation seemed to be going pretty well, "he gave a lot of people laps."

"I heard," Reiner began, "that Nap-time got punished for sleeping in class. Did she really get eight hours of laps after being unable to answer any of the professor's questions?"

Armin bristled a little defensively at his careless tone. "She wasn't sleeping, she managed to answer every one of the professor's questions, and it was only four hours!" He huffed, wondering somewhat why he was defensive of the small girl and suddenly worried that he may have offended the athletic boy.

To his relief, Reiner just laughed. "I don't know why, but I can imagine her doing that. Must've been quite a show." Armin laughed along, and they changed subjects, discussing the differences between the lessons they recieved.

They were in the middle of talking about what they had learned about 3D gear, for Reiner's teacher had gone into little more detail concerning the history of the equipment, when they arrived at the bath houses. When they walked in, they found their friends cleaning by themselves. "Where is everybody?" Reiner asked Bertholdt, walking over to his tall companion.

"They ditched us." Eren spat angrily before Bertholdt could reply, scrubbing the floor with an angry expression on his face. "They had stolen some whiskey from somewhere and went off to drink it." Mikasa nodded in agreement, her face far less emotional than her adoptive brother's.

"Do you guys need some help? Me and Armin are done with our work." Reiner asked, grabbing a sponge and tossing a mop Armin's way when the other three said yes. They all scrubbed furiously, quickly finishing with that bathhouse and moving onto the next and final house. Armin helped as best as he could, but felt insufficient next to Mikasa, Reiner, Bertholdt, and Eren. All of his friends were so much stronger and faster than he that he ended up cleaning much less than his fair share.

_I'm useless._ He thought briefly, shaking his head slightly at his display of weakness. But the thought was pushed out of his mind as everyone high-rived each other when they finished a half-hour early.

"Good job, Armin!" Eren said eagerly, clapping his friend on the back and smiling broadly. Armin felt a pang hit his heart and allowed himself to wrapped up in the warmth of their friendship, feeling Mikasa come on the other side of him.

"Thanks." He said, blushing slightly. All five trainees walked out of the house and began heading to the dining hall to get the best spots in line for dinner. Passing by the final row of bathhouses, they heard a large commotion. _Probably the slackers and their alcohol._ Armin mused, peering into the alleyway as they walked by it.

What he felt halted him immediately, making the others turn to pause as well (they had been too lost in conversation to hear the faint scuffling noises). The group felt anger rush over them in a cloud from the narrow walkway, and they tensed themselves, feeling the hateful emotion emanating from where the sounds were coming from.

"What the hell…" Reiner said, squinting into the alley. It was really too dark to even see anything, especially with the lanterns lit where they were standing, so they all stepped into the shadow of the buildings carefully. Mikasa was the first to move, her sharp eyes allowing her to more quickly assess the situation. Reiner, Bertholdt, and Eren were quick to follow.

Armin felt bitter resentment flush through his body as he realized that the group of boys were busy beating up someone who could barely be seen curled up in a ball in the middle of them. He hated bullying and fighting, especially when it was so unnecessary. Mikasa and Reiner hit the group first, bowling over a couple of boys before Bertholdt and Eren joined the fray. With so many hard-hitters and quick fists, the crowd was quickly dispersed. Armin had stood off to the side, making sure no one got away and feeling mostly useless. But he knew that he couldn't fight, so he remained where he was.

As the final few were knocked out by the others, Armin trotted quickly over to the small, crumpled figure in the middle. His heart dropped, seeing their tiny body covered in dirt and scratches, a large gouge on their head where a broken bottle had torn through their skin catching his eye. He kneeled down beside the person, feeling his soul rend when he realized who it was.

"Jae," He said desperately, barely noticing the others stop what they were doing (shooing the bullies away) and look his way, "wake up." Armin didn't know at this point whether her puny, child-sized body could take all the damage it had endured. He didn't know whether or not she was alive.

"Wake up!" He called, not paying any attention to the others as they gathered in a small circle around the two on the ground solemnly. "Jae, wake up!"

Suddenly, her eyes fluttered open, and Armin felt gladness rush over his being at her apparent life. The next words almost made him laugh aloud.

"Fuck off Armin," Jae said, but her voice still held its characteristic calming warmth, "I'm trying to rest here, not sleep."

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**A/N- Hello! So I really tried something different for this chapter (especially the fight scene), hope I didn't make Armin too OOC hehe (.m.")**

**So school starting again has really thrown me out of wack, and it's kinda hard to keep up with writing. I think I'll probably update mostly on weekends now, with maybe a small update in the middle of the week.**

**As always, TALK TO MEH! I love your reviews and find them really helpful when I feel a block coming on.**

**Shout-outs to my followers and favoriters (is that a word?) as well as Spellbound Forever for reviewing (thank's so much!).**

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	7. Cracked, not Broken

**Disclaimer- Need I even bother? Don't own stuff that's not my stuff and do own stuff that's my stuff.**

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Chapter 6- Cracked, not Broken

The group stood gathered loosely in the alleyway, the dust settling even as Jae's words fell upon their ears. A laugh, melodic and tranquil, burst from Jae's throat and spread quickly to Armin and the others.

They laughed, covered in grime even while ignoring their bruised knuckles and the unconscious bodies around them. They allowed themselves to lose the heavy burden of the future in the quickly ebbing tide of adrenaline and anger that had rushed over them only a few moments ago, forgetting for only a moment the consequences of such an increase of energy. They were still only children, caught in a world that force-fed them maturity until the rending of their woulds was practically audible, unable to escape the reality of life that was cruelty.

As the final chuckle died out, Jae began coughing spaztically, making everyone pause for a moment and remember the situation at hand. Finally, the silence was broken as Jae slowly forced herself to sit up. Armin hurriedly supported her, keeping a hold on her hand and dragging her into a standing position. Her small size made it easy for even the blonde boy to lift her, and so he confidently moved her arm around his shoulder, letting her lean her weight on him until she got her feet under her.

Jae didn't remove her arm and merely leaned to take a step while the rest of the group followed closely. They had almost rounded the corner of the bathhouses when Jae completely collapsed, forcing Armin to clutch at her to prevent her from hitting the ground.

"I may need someone to carry me." She said weakly. Armin nodded, looking to the stronger members of the group to volunteer. He felt a warm wetness drip onto his arm, and he looked to see blood trailing down Jae's back from a large gash on the lower half of her skull. He inhaled sharply, his mind quickly calculating the amount of the precious red liquid she was losing every moment they hesitated.

"Reiner." He said sharply, his reason winning over any shyness that may have prevented him from ordering anybody around, much less his stocky senior, "Take her to the infirmary!" Reiner nodded, quickly stepping closer to the quickly draining girl.

"Thank you, Reiner, but no thank you all the same." Jae said before he could touch her, "Princess," she continued, causing Mikasa to tense slightly, "you do it." The scarfed girl wondered a little at why she was selected, but shrugged it off quickly. The other boys felt a little miffed, however, and their curiosity was not so easily discouraged as 'Princess' took the much smaller girl into her arms. Sensing the lingering question in the air, Jae decided, after some thought, to answer it.

"She's the softest." Jae said in way of explanation. The whole group accepted it inwardly, glancing at Mikasa from the corner of their eyes. _True. _They thought, their male minds quickly coming to an agreeable consensus. Jae could only hold in her laughter as the pain in her body began to flood her system once more. As Mikasa ran ahead of the group, she began to make a tally of all the major injuries she had.

_Possible dislocated shoulder, multiple cuts and contusions, cracked, possibly broken, ribs, and possible concussion and internal bleeding. _She thought, separating herself from the pain by thinking only of what was causing it. Jae was glad she had chosen Mikasa, who was holding her close to her chest and trotting delicately to avoid jostling the small girl further. _Soft indeed, _was her only thought as she drifted deeper into her mind.

Eventually, they reached the infirmary building and walked in to see two rows of beds with plain, patchworker curtains to divide each area. It was clean and bright and large, mostly on account of the extreme dangers they would be facing while training. Once they started working with the 3D gear, it was not uncommon for trainees to be sent home on the sole basis of injury. Occasionally, people would even die if they weren't treated quickly enough, thus making a large medical ward necessary.

The doctor and nurses on duty looked a little surprised to see the trainees, covered in dirt and, in Jae's case, injuries. The pair had managed to remain unseen by any trainees, since most were either re-cleaning their assigned areas (if they had not met the standards) or hurrying to get dinner. Mikasa set Jae down on one of the beds gently as one of the nurses hurried over, medical instincts taking over. The doctor, however, had a more grounded mindset, and took Mikasa over to the side to discuss what exactly had happened to them.

After hearing of the fight, the doctor sent the other nurse to get superiors, mostly to handle whatever punishment that may be inflicted on them for getting involved in a fight. The rest of the group walked in to see a straight faced Mikasa staring at Jae, who had her eyes closed as a nurse did the preliminary check-through over the girl before quickly getting a medical cart to cleanse Jae's still-bleeding head. The doctor walked over, snapping gloves over his wrist purposefully as he assessed the damage.

"You need stitches." He said, the nurse pulling out string and a medical needle according to his quick hand gesture. The doctor grabbed a needle off the top of the cart, tapping it to rid it of any air bubbles. "You will need to be put under for this," he explained, " because the wound is so near to some vital skull nerves, any sudden movement on your part may severely damage them. This is the anesthesia needle, you'll wake up in a few hours." Jae grimaced, looking at the needle through half-lidded eyes before shutting them once more.

"I'm allergic." She said. The doctor paused, about ready to push the needle into her arm.

"What?" He said incredulously.

"I'm allergic to anesthesia." Jae repeated slowly, lightly guiding the doctor's hovering needle away from her arm. "You will need to stitch it while I'm awake."

"It will be extremely painful." He said hesitantly, speaking like to the child she looked like (and technically was) "We can use alternative means of putting you under, because if you jerk or twitch too much while I'm stitching it could damage your nerves."

"Do it while I'm awake." Jae said firmly, rolling over from her side to her stomach tallow him easy access. The doctor hesitated once more, but took the needle from the nurse and began the stitching process. The wound was actually near the top of her neck, not her skull like Armin initially thought, so there was plenty of skin for the doctor to pierce. The group silently counted each needle movement, watching as Jae remained completely still and silent through the entire procedure. She didn't so much as twitch as the shiny bit of metal tore through her flesh.

The nurse finally noticed the rest of their presence, her face turning strict as she gestured to the door. "You can wait outside," she said, "but don't leave. You still have to report in on this incident." When nobody moved, she huffed slightly but allowed them to stay where they were, much to their collective relief.

They wanted to support the sleepy girl, and even if all they could offer Naptime was their presence, they would offer it in full. In only a few moments, the doctor had completed the stitching, sterilization, and bandaging of the gash. He helped her sit up once more, discussing her other injuries with the nurse quietly.

"It appears your shoulder has been dislocated." He said, pressing gently onto the said arm. "Resetting it is going to be extremely painful, but you'll need to remain still once again." He waited for her to nod, her eyes still shut loosely and her body relaxed despite the intensely difficult flesh-sewing that had just happened on her neck. The doctor grabbed her arm firmly, and the group watched tensely as he slowly straightened it. He then rotated it to the side while her face remained blank. She breathed slowly and evenly as the doctor raised her arm above her head.

With a sickening crunch, the joint popped back into its socket, making more than one member of the group wince. Jae exhaled softly, feeling the newly-aligned joint with her opposite hand as she lowered the arm with her own strength. The doctor looked a little surprised at her lack of reaction, but took it quickly in stride before turning to the nurse to discuss the next wound to be treated. He nodded, slightly taking a slight step back.

"It appears that you have some cracked ribs," He began, "so you will need to remove your uniform to check in order for me to be able to check that there is no internal bleeding or your lungs haven't been affected in anyway. Nurse Joanna can help you if you need it, and we can pull a curtain over this area for your privacy." The doctor looked pointedly at the mostly male group still standing to the side, watching the boys blush slightly.

Jae merely chuckled, however. "I'm not shy... But," She said, "I can already tell you that my lungs are fine." She began removing her shirt anyways, revealing a small, linen-wrapped torso. The boys shuffled nervously, clearing their throats slightly. She was only exposing her shoulders, but her small form could be seen underneath the tan strips of clothe that served as her under armor. She still looked little more than a seven-year old, but it was the mere concept of seeing a girl in her underclothes that made the boys nervous.

The doctor gently placed his hands on her ribcage, his large hands nearly wrapping around to her back as he felt for any damage. The boys could feel their instincts take over as they bristled at the sight of the man feeling the smaller girl's body. Something in them screamed that the situation was wrong, and that a man had no business touching a child's body. Jae seemed to sense their awakening man-pride, peeking at them with a slightly mocking grin on the corners of her mouth.

Armin was the first to avert his eyes, a slightly embarrassed blush appearing on his face while Eren and Reiner merely huffed through their nostrils before turning their heads away slightly. Bertholdt had looked away minutes before, as soon as her shirt had started to come off, a nervous sweat building on his skin. Mikasa looked on shamelessly, aware that as a fellow female there was no real reason for her to look away. She wanted to keep an eye on the injured girl until she was sure that the minuscule creature was not going to begin bleeding or collapsing again. Not to mention the fact that Naptime was being touched by a grown man because even if he was a medical professional, Mikasa never trusted anyone until they had proven themselves trustworthy.

Eventually, the doctor nodded slightly, taking his hands from her slight body and allowing the girl to re-dress herself in a clean shirt before re-addressing her.

"There is no life-threatening injury that I can feel." He stated, and almost everyone relaxed (except for Jae since there was no way for the half-asleep girl to relax further without going to sleep fully).

"However," the doctor continued, "you do have seven cracked ribs, a severe concussion, several large contusions, a recently dislocated shoulder, and a multitude of minor cuts, abrasions, and bruises. You WILL remain in bed until it is certain that your shoulder and ribs are setting properly, not to mention that your concussion is under control and their is no swelling of your brain." His voice was strict, his tone with all the firm immovability of someone who knew the consequences of disobedience would kill the disobedient.

Jae remained as she was, only the slightest inclination of her head suggesting her acknowledgement of the doctor's words. The doctor nodded, striding over to a desk area and beginning to fill out some detailed charts. He left much of the clean-up to the nurse, who worked quickly and tidily, sending occasional glares to the group of trainees that had yet to move from their place. When she finally left once more to put the cart back where it belonged, they all shuffled forward, surrounding the small girl laying prone on the bed.

"You look like crap." Mikasa said dryly, her emotionless face betraying nothing. Jae sat as quietly as ever, ignoring the insult in favor of peeking her eyes open. She smiled slightly at the towering figures surrounding her, winking at them all.

"Don't I always?" Jae chuckled, the pressure making her cough a little. The rough sound made everyone frown, a brutal reminder of the pain she was experiencing.

"What happened?" Eren asked, "Why did those… _people…" _He said the word loosely, like they did not deserve to be addressed in such a polite term, "Why did they attack you?"

Jae thought a moment, then responded shortly, "I'll explain when the superiors get here... probably" Everyone nodded, suddenly reminded of the other nurse that had been sent out to get said instructors. They briefly wondered if they would get punished for engaging in a fight with their peers, but quickly brushed it off. Jae observed their changing expressions intensely, careful to be as indiscreet as possible.

She realized what their general thoughts were as an air of determination was built up. _It's better to be punished for something they did do than regretting something they didn't do. _She mused quietly. The group stood there in companionable silence for some time, thinking privately amongst themselves.

Eren, ever filled with impatient energy, began to pace as Mikasa's eyes followed his shifting form diligently. Armin stood the nearest to the bed silently counting the times Jae's chest rose and fell, making himself forget the panic he had experienced at seeing her broken body for the first time. Bertholdt and Reiner began talking quietly between themselves, so Jae amused herself by listening to as much of their hushed conversation as her pounding head would allow.

Sooner than she thought, the door creaked open, and the nurse shuffled in with who else, but Commander Pixis himself and a couple of the other instructors.

"ATTENTION!" He barked, even the supposed sacredness of an infirmary ceasing to quell his apparent love of using his voice at full tilt. The trainees quickly snapped into respectful salutes, their gazes locked with his own steel gray one.

Unexpectedly, the infirmary bed creaked and Jae delicately put her bare feet down. She stood at full attention, wobbling only slightly much to the surprise of the other trainees. Armin scooted a little closer, using his body as a vertical support for her tiny body as she leaned into his shoulder with every unsure teeter. Pixis noted her salute with the smallest of nods, choosing to ignore the fact that her eyes were still stubbornly shut for the time being.

"It seems that you cod-suckers were unable to keep yourselves from a compromising situation!" He yelled, but in more of the equivalent of his "indoor voice" before stepping forward and coming to a complete stop before Reiner, standing chest-to-chest with the large blonde boy.

"Trainee Braun! Report!" He yelled.

Reiner answered as best as he could. "I was walking with fellow trainees Ackerman, Jaeger, Arlert, and Hoover to the dining hall for dinner after completing evening chores, when our attention was drawn to a disturbance in the alleyway between a few bathhouses! When we inspected the source of the disturbance, we saw trainee Deyar on the ground being assaulted by multiple other male Trainees! We then broke the conflict apart, knocking most of them unconscious! After that, Mikasa then ran ahead to the infirmary with Deyar and the rest of us followed to observe her treatment, sir!" Reiner finished. The Commander stared coldly into his eyes, then moved onto the next trainee, Eren, before asking the same thing.

He continued down the line, showing no reaction as each of the trainees repeated pretty much exactly the same situation. Finally, after receiving a shaky, but detailed, response from Armin he reached the apparent 'source' of the conflict.

"Trainee Deyad! Report!" He shouted, extra loud in an almost foolish attempt to get her to open her eyes in wakefulness. Jae stirred a little, craning her neck to meet the eyes of the general.

"It was as your people saw." She said simply.

"These trainees are not my people!" Commander Pixis retorted, callously dismissing the children.

"Not my peers, sir." Jae sighed, "Those two." She said, gesturing towards the other instructors that had come in with the Commander upon his entrance into the infirmary. "They saw everything." Jae had been aware of their presence as she had been caught up in the fight, sensing the presence of lucid people on the roof who watched her being beaten with the cold eyes of a teacher. She knew that they were watching her to see her reaction, to see what she would do in the face of such odds. It had been a main contributor to her sudden apathy as she allowed her body to crumple into a fetal position (the other main contributor was being beaten).

Pixis showed no reaction to her words, staying as stern-faced as always. Jae saw the gears in his mind working behind his green-gray irises, his eyes the only active emotion on his face. He took in her condition, the way she struggled to remain upright and her eyes clouded over with pain before she shut them sleepily. She yawned openly, her soft breathe hitting the underside of his jaw and reminding him to say something.

"Very well," He responded, and Jae noted the surprise emanating from her peers as they realized she was correct in assuming that the whole event had been witnessed, "I will expect a formal written report from each of you if we are to pursue the matter further." He waited for the words to sink in, waiting for them to realize that no one, not even the technical instigators, would be getting punished for the event of the day. Jae sighed heavily.

"Can I decline that offer, sir?" She asked wearily, her voice particularly husky as her breathing became more painful, "I, for one, don't particularly care either way."

Pixis merely turned around and began marching out. "It is your decision to make." He said sternly as he reached the doorway. "DISMISSED!" He yelled at the trainees, watching as they relaxed their stances before leaving.

The trainees turned immediately to the small girl as she collapsed back onto the mattress.

"What do you mean, '_decline the offer_?!'" Eren practically shouted.

"You can't be seriously considering letting those creeps get off clean!" Reiner said just as quickly, Bertholdt nodding in agreement.

"They deserve punishment." Mikasa added. Armin just stood there, watching Jae breathe before she responded quietly.

"No more than I." She said, "I hold no malice towards people acting on instinct and alcohol."

Everyone paused, shocked at the finality in her voice. Finally, Armin asked the question that everyone wanted to ask but had forgotten about.

"What happened to you? How did all this start anyways?" He asked softly, phrasing his words carefully.

He could hear the smile in her voice as her arm rose to cover her eyes wearily. She spoke quietly, but everyone heard her just the same.

"They insulted you guys, so I insulted them back."

It was enough for them to begin laughing again.

* * *

Commander Pixis rubbed his eyes tiredly, reading the reports written by his instructors once again. He memorized the details in each one, marking which students would or would not probably succeed in some some portion of his mind devoted to the trainees. He added personality traits to the more interesting trainees, keeping a careful mental tally of every potentially great soldier.

He thought back to Eren's success earlier that evening and remembered how quickly a working set of 3D gear made such an improvement to his performance. Eren and most of the people surrounding him were chalk full of potential, and Pixis already had a mental image of how the next few years of training would proceed as he flipped through the next few documents. The commander came again upon the two reports that had come that afternoon reporting the violent disturbance that had come earlier that day.

_Deyad._ He mused, thinking of the infuriating trainee he associated with the name. Her complete lack of fearful reaction drew his attention, as well as her purposefully low physical training scores. Pixis was a master at determining a trainee's potential, and he would be a fool not to at least be aware of the raging undercurrent of undeveloped energy that the girl had hidden under her sleepy guise. He re-read the reports, examining the parts that noted of her sudden collapse and her words at being rescued. _Not a cool head, _ he thought, _but certainly a calm one. _

An image flashed through his mind: a small figure standing with her head wrapped in bandages, locked in a proper salute even as she swayed from pain. He brushed it from his mind, pausing to note only her tranquil resilience in his inner note pad before moving onto other reports.

Hours passed, the night quickly slipping deeper and deeper into itself with the Commander still reading the detailed words of his many underlings. He was growing quite tired of the reports of trainees missing food, and he quickly decided to double the security measures on the kitchen storehouse to prevent Potato girl from stealing any more goods. He leaned back in his chair, some of the morning's lesson reports in his hands as he rubbed his eyes and looked out his window.

His offices were located on a small cliff, overlooking the entire camp. His eye was caught by slight movement on the track field, and his sharp gaze quickly zeroed in on the unknown source of activity so late at night. Pixis was a little surprised to find that he recognized the small form.

_You shouldn't disobey the doctor, Deyad, especially with your wounds._ Pixis thought, a little surprised that the child could even walk without immediately collapsing after the violent beating she had received. He had just about decided to send one of his underlings to send her back to the infirmary when one of the reports caught his eye.

It was the report written by Professor Lehreski on his class earlier that day. _Jae Deyad,_ he wrote in his square, solid script, _interrupted my class by ardently refusing to pay attention, choosing instead to sleep at her desk. Though she managed to answer every one of my questions, her insubordination earned her all cessation of meals until four hours of laps had been completed._

Pixis looked once more at the slowly moving figure on the field, rubbing his chin thoughtfully before reaching a final decision to merely ignore the fact that he had witnessed a patient willfully out of bed.

_Quietly obedient. _He added to her list of attributes in his mind. _With the strength to ignore boundaries._

* * *

**A/N- Hello! First off, I would like to apologize for this late update, I had a slight block on this story which made it hard for me to even think about how to start it. I know that nothing really too exciting or juicy happened in this chapter, please forgive this stupid author *begs weakly* **

**I hope to make it more romantically and action-ingly inspiring in the next couple of updates... excuse me for my future awkwardness hehe...**

**THANKS MUCH TO ALL WHO REVIEWED AND FOLLOWED! Shout-outs to Marfo Faura, Calavera Rose, Spellbound Forever, Guest reviewer, and TheStoryTeller231! Your sweet words helped drag me from my block, seriously.****  
**

**Tell me whatcha want or don't want, I'll try to listen. **

**high-een-ah ahaahahahahaaahahahahwahwaaaaaaa*cries***


	8. Kitten Tears

**Disclaimer- Don't own, except for what I do.**

**A/N- I just wanted to put this note at the beginning to apologize for two things before we begin. **

**First and foremost I would like to express my extreme disappointment in myself for a huge series of typos in last chapter. As most of you probably noticed, I wrote "Pixis" instead of "Shadis." I swear that I was thinking of the right face, but somehow the names got crossed in my brain. Please forgive me for my obvious stupidity. A shoutout to blueberryblitz19 and KarinxToshiro for pointing the mistake out! **

**Secondly, I would like to apologize for not updating last week. I hit a severe roadblock in the story mostly because, like the idiot that I seem to be, I didn't follow the plot that I had planned. **

**Please forgive this stupid author *bows head in shame***

* * *

Chapter 7- Kitten Tears

A Few Months later-

The camp was filled with the heavy fog of dreams, and sleep descended upon almost every form in a coat of unconsciousness. It was not silent, however, as the indistinct rustling of bodies and muffled sounds of snoring drifted in scattered waves between the simplistic buildings. At first glance, it was dark, but after some time one could easily come to recognize the many layers of moonlight rippling through the air like silvery breaths.

The delicate luminescence was interrupted by the mellow golden light of a flickering candle in one of the buildings. The contrast between the deep blue of night and the restrained yellow of flame was a pleasing effect, nonetheless, it still remained startling to any late-night creature that dared to awaken in the peaceful setting.

In the center of the glowing pool of light, Armin stirred from the textbook he had been absorbed in. Catching sight of the time, he silently cursed himself for loosing track of it. He hurriedly extinguished the barely-surviving flame (it had been near to drowning itself in its own wax) and began the walk to his barracks as quietly as possible. The eager-to-learn boy had quickly gained the trust of the Professor, which allowed him the freedom to remain in the study hall as long as he liked (it was the place they stored the extra textbooks and the professors' personal book collections they had refused to leave behind).

Even so, the blonde was somewhat nervous as to what his consequences would be if he were to be caught walking back to his bed, especially when he was supposed to have crawled into it hours before. So, he tread carefully, slipping between buildings to avoid being seen by any possible instructor who may have been on patrol. Eventually, he made his way to the edge of the camp, on the border between the heavily-traveled dirt of military territory and the tangled wilderness of the small forest that skirted the grounds.

Armin was suddenly reminded of the impending training that he and his peers would be undertaking under the branches; the next step after mastering the basic motions on thin poles nailed onto the middle of the running track. The trees were larger than normal, a grove of mysteriously huge plants that proved essential for 3D instruction. It was because of the trees' abnormal size that the camp was located in such a secluded location, too far for supplies to be delivered easily. Even after considering all this, Armin concluded that the usefulness of the ancient vegetation did nothing to dispel the general aura of spookiness that saturated the untamed place.

Armin walked quicker, not daring to even glance at the shifting murkiness that clung to the band of trees at his side. Though his logical mind told him he was being foolish, he was too frightened by the possibility of seeing some monster, or some _thing,_ to look into the darkness. His pulse raced, and he was forced to lick his suddenly dry lips as a cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

He start a brisk trot as he sighted the building that signaled for him to turn back into the campgrounds. All too suddenly, something gripped his arm, preventing him from rounding the building into the relative safety of the alley. A strangled cry nearly escaped his lips as he felt the thing grip him tightly, but the sound was quickly muffled by something pressing against his mouth. Armin's eyes quickly adjusted, and he looked out of the corner of his eye to see Jae holding him back.

Relief flooded him, the tension from his muscles fading. The girl sensed his sudden relaxation and released her hold on him. Her eyes were barely open, but they met his with an intensity that kept him locked in place just as surely as her hands had done. She shook her head slightly and jerked her chin in a gesture for him to look around the corner.

Doing as she had suggested, Armin peeked just slightly around the building, careful to keep his body behind it. His heart sank as he spotted the slouched form of a superior keeping watch at the door of his barracks. There was no way for him to return to his bed without being spotted by the man and, as a result, punished for breaking curfew. His mind churned violently, making strategies and seeing the results of each with the speed of someone naturally gifted with briliance.

"Any ideas?" Armin whispered to Jae, looking to her for some sort of solution that he had not yet considered. She had become famous for never being caught out of bed, even though almost everyone in the camp was aware of her nightly escapades, including the instructors. To the boy's disappointment, she merely shrugged.

Without a word, she turned and began walking into the forest. Armin stood there awkwardly, unsure of whether he was supposed to follow her or merely wait for the instructor to move. After shuffling from foot to foot anxiously for a few seconds, he trotted over to her slowly shuffling form.

The diminutive girl glanced at him from the corner of her eye, smiling softly as he moved to walk beside her. A sense of peace pervaded the atmosphere surrounding the child, soothing the boy's slightly frayed nerves into tranquility. He wondered briefly if Jae even knew that her drowsiness held such a calming effect but quickly realized that she was probably oblivious to the fact, since it was not very likely that anyone had ever told her, "Hey, you make me feel like I just got hugged by a warm cloud of fluffy wool."

Meandering slowly through the trees, Armin stumbled over the exposed roots and gnarly underbrush that Jae seemed to navigate over with ease. He wondered how someone who was looking at the world with only half her vision and was shuffling along with the kind of gait that would suggest sleepwalking could even travel a few feet in such a barely-lit and hazardous place. To add to her apparent ease of walking, her knowledge of where she was headed as she wove in between the many large trunks was slightly disconcerting.

Eventually, they arrived at a thin stream that trickled merrily over rounded stones, the melody of flowing water blending harmoniously with the previously frightening rustlings of the leaves far above the trainees' heads. A tree had fallen over the sparkling rivulet of water, leaving behind an empty log carpeted with green moss that Jae settled on top of gently. Her legs were so short that her feet barely skimmed the surface of the water, and it was then that Armin realized that she was completely barefoot.

His mind stalled for a moment as he surveyed the scene: the moonlight streaming between the trees in thin ribbons of light, the pale brook nestled into the deep grey of the stones, and the miniature figure that sat in the middle of it all, sleepily dipping her toes in the cold water. It looked straight from a rare illustrated children's fairytale book that Armin had once glimpsed inside an antique store years before. In that moment of observation, the forest was nothing more than an enchanted fairyland, and Jae was a little faerie of the woods immersed in the tranquility of her element.

Breaking from his reverie, Armin gingerly sat beside the girl. The limited span of the empty trunk made him sit directly next to the girl, his thighs barely brushing hers. With every slight contact between their bodies, Armin felt sharp shocks of electricity shoot up and down his leg in a distracting pattern of tingles over his body. He sat frozen for some time, unable to speak for fear that his voice would come out higher pitched than normal.

Instead of speaking, he set to further observe the environment, attempting to memorize the layout of the trees to aide with the next day's training. Eventually, he grew slightly bored of straining his vision beyond the edge of the moon beams, and he instead turned his gaze to his slight companion who was sitting peacefully with her eyes closed. Armin looked at her slender face, noting the mostly-faded scratches and barely-noticeable bruises that dotted her otherwise smooth skin. She had healed quickly from the fight, leaving barely a trace of her injuries. He had been surprised to see her up and about so quickly after the beating she had endured, knowing from experience the pain that being beaten up left both physically and mentally. However, he figured that it would be best for him to not question her quick recovery and merely be grateful that his friend had made it out relatively easily

Luckily, his silence did not make things awkward as there seemed to be no need to speak. Jae let out a quiet noise, a minute sound that vibrated through the trees, echoes bouncing through the twisted environment. Armin was not sure what to make of the high-pitched utteration and was somewhat startled when an equally shrill answering call resounded through the trees, sounding a distance away. Jae warbled once again, and they only had a few minutes before the answering creature itself stepped out of the shadows into the small puddle of light.

To Armin's relief, it was simply a smallish brown and white cat that tread languidly over to Jae. A short line of kittens tumbled after the cat, tripping clumsily over each other in their rush to follow their mother. Armin didn't even bother trying to process the fact that the girl had basically just called a veritable pack of cats to them in the middle of nowhere during the depth of night and shrugged it off as simply another mystery of the sleepy child.

Jae cuddled the cat drowsily, the animal barely able to balance on her petite lap. The kittens mewed frantically as they were unable to crawl up onto the log after their mother, making Jae chuckle softly, a sweet sound that chimed through the air in lulling waves. Armin shivered, immediately blaming it on the slight chill of night.

Warmth suffused through his lap, and he looked down in surprise to see Jae transferring an armload of kittens onto his legs. There were four of the squirming creatures, tiny bundles of soft, multi-colored fur that mewed and wriggled about on stubby legs. He pet the teeny things carefully, marveling at the warmth of such minuscule creatures. Armin felt a rush of peace lay crash over him as he stroked the animals and looked out of the corner of his eye to see Jae smile softly at him in return as she scratched the mother's chin, eliciting rumbling purrs from her throat.

Eventually, the mother stood up and leapt gracefully off of the log, meowing for her kittens to follow her as she disappeared into the night. She flicked her tail at them as she left, a gesture of farewell that seemed appropriate for the distance that her independent kind normally displayed. Armin leaned back on his hands, feeling bereft and cold for the sudden lack of kitten-warmth.

The animals had stabilized the awkwardness he had felt at being in physical contact with Jae, and he finally had the strength to speak.

"Wha...who was that?"

Jae stirred slightly, coming from some deep place inside her mind to give a reply. "I don't know her name," she said slowly, "but she lets me visit with her occasionally."

"Mmmh," Armin hummed in the back of his throat, mind racing for other topics before settling on one. "How'd you meet her?"

"You tend to find a lot of things," she said quietly, "if you wander enough, especially at night."

Armin's curiosity was piqued. "Do you ever sleep?"

"I am always asleep," Jae explained, "just as I am always awake."

Armin's mind swiftly processed her words before another question was generated.

"Have you always been…" he paused, unsure of how to phrase it, "half-conscious?"

It was Jae's turn to pause, and she turned to meet his gaze with barely-open eyes that reflected the silhouette of the moon. "Not always."

"When…" he began, but stopped himself before he pried further into her life. For whatever reason, he had no desire to seem like a busy body arse in front of the girl.

"When did I become so drowsy?" She finished the question, before answering it, "I guess a couple years ago."

Armin didn't even need to do the math. She had adopted her lifestyle directly after the fall of Wall Maria, and he winced inwardly, knowing that he had probably touched on some buried memories. Jae _seemed_ unaffected by his inadvertent prying, and if she had been a normal person he would have been relieved, but Armin knew better. With Jae, a swear could mean "thank you," and a smile could mean "I hate this."

"Sorry," he said, "you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"I don't mind," Jae said, "since you understand." She looked at him again, watching emotions play over his face. He realized that she knew, like most of the trainees at that point, that he was from Shiganshina District, and that she had deduced the horrors that he had witnessed.

"Where were you," Armin asked tentatively, "when it happened?" There was no need for him to explain what 'it' was.

"Nowhere important," Jae said cryptically, "but I probably lost as much as the next person, though not as much others."

"Who?" Armin immediately regretted the question seeing tears trickle out her closed eyes. "Sorry, you don't have to answer," he said hurriedly, desperate to halt her crying.

"Don't worry about it," Jae said simply, her voice was clear of the choking of grief but was tinted by melancholy as she continued, "it's good for me to remember sometimes."

A pause drifted in between the two children, laden with the bitter somberness of memories.

"I lost my grandfather," Armin whispered, surprised at his own admittance. Jae looked at him, her eyes again reflecting the silvery luminescence of the moon.

"I lost my sister," Jae responded softly, tears continuing their silent flow down her cheeks, "or rather, we lost each other."

They sat for what was only a moment but felt like years, immersed in the kind of shared sorrow of people that had been left behind by loved ones. Tragedy, thick and sharp, laced through their souls with a boney skeleton of fragmented memories. The grief was familiar, fitting around their minds with the kind of lingering snugness of something that had been felt many, many times before.

Eventually, it faded to a more manageable amount, and it was Jae this time who broke the accompanying silence.

"So what do you think about the training we're doing tomorrow?"

"I don't know," Armin replied nervously but was eager to leave the sadness for what he was sure was lighter conversation, "I'm not sure that I'll be any good so far above the ground."

"You'll be fine," Jae comforted him, "you have Princess and Jaeger to catch you, not to mention almost everyone else."

"Yeah," He said, "and I have you and your advice." Jae didn't say anything immediately, but eventually responded.

"You remember that?"

Armin laughed and said, "Of course. I never would've passed that first day without your help."

"Nah," Jae said seriously, "You would've figured out the elbows and ankles eventually."

"Maybe." Armin was uncertain, "but how did you figure it out before you tried it yourself?"

The answer was simple. "Well, I just watched Princess. That, and I also used what I knew about a body's center of gravity."

"Oh, like how it is easily manipulated by spinal adjustments?" Armin was now becoming more eager as they approached more technical topics, "But how did you make the jump to conclude that adjusting your elbows could help you control it?"

"Well…" Jae said, and they were quickly lost in their conversation, discussing the intricacies of the theories of maneuvering.

But still, in the back of his mind, Armin felt some sorrow still clinging to the back of his mind, cluttering up a corner with tendrils of sadness. It lingered until he fell asleep halfway into a sentence.

* * *

**A/N- Yeah, another note *crowd boos* (shut up, crowd). Thanks so much for reading this far!**

**I tried to put fluff in here but then it turned sad (don't know how that happened). I'm not to sure if my writing is up to my normal par, and I know that it's short for being so late, but this is seriously all I could churn out after a week long block. **

**I really do appreciate everyone who followed and faved this story, even though I'm too lazy to write your names *chuckles awkwardly at lack of basic politeness* **

**Anywaysies, thank you to those who reviewed! That means you, Spellbound Forever **(Your enthusiasm helped me continue, no joke),** Marfo Faura **(You regular reviewer! you deserve all the joy you give me), **blueberryblitz19 **(I'm glad you caught the mistake, seriously)**, TheStoryTeller231 **(Your name again!)** , Shadycat44** (I guess my style comes from my love of poetry?)**, and KarinXToshiro **(Thanks so much for your advice and commentary, really helped me re-examine some of the stuff I did, even though you might not see it in this chapter because I'm such a lazy bum)**!**

**Tell me what you want me to know, even if it seems insignificant, like something you personally want to see. It couldn't hurt to tell me what huge mistake I made this time either. I'm seriously an idiot sometimes, so it'll really help me. **

**high-een-ah ahahahahahahhahahahahahhahhaha**


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